


Abnormally Average

by ccbearreads



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Captain America AU, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friendship/Love, Humor, M/M, Multi, OOC, Polyamory, Protectiveness, Romance, Sexual Content, Supernatural Elements, Swearing, sexual content later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-08
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-06 10:37:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 41,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17343758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ccbearreads/pseuds/ccbearreads
Summary: Darcy Lewis was your average all American girl. Well…maybe with some differences.While the rest of the girls carried their Gucci purses and could not live without their lipstick and mirrors, Darcy Lewis could not live without her generic shoulder strap bag and never left without her Taser and mace.Or, as the average girls on the streets of New York had their ears chatted off by their girlfriends squealing about the latest sexual escapade they had, Darcy Lewis heard voices in her head. Literally, in her head. They came in like a swarm of bees, buzzing in her head speaking to her everywhere she went.Okay, maybe not so average, after all.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is my very first story posted on here. I've been a long time lurker and I've never felt a huge urge to write. This story came to me suddenly one day and became a passion project. I pumped out the storyline in 2 days and it's pretty much finished, needing some tweaks. However, I can't wait to share it with you all and get some feedback to continue to improve the story!!
> 
> Please be gentle with me, this is my first time being so excited about a story that I've written. The only person who re-reads and edits the story is me, and I might miss a lot of things, so I apologize in advance! Enough with the notes, on with the story & I can't wait to read your comments! :)

Darcy Lewis was your average all American girl. Well…maybe with some differences. 

While the rest of the girls carried their Gucci purses and could not live without their lipstick and mirrors, Darcy Lewis could not live without her generic shoulder strap bag and never left without her Taser and mace. 

Or, as the average girls on the streets of New York had their ears chatted off by their girlfriends squealing about the latest sexual escapade they had, Darcy Lewis heard voices in her head. Literally, in her head. They came in like a swarm of bees, buzzing in her head speaking to her everywhere she went. 

Okay, maybe not so average, after all.

Darcy strode down the street, ignoring the buzz of whispers she could hear in her head with her headphones blaring at an offensively loud volume. She hummed along as she made her way to her local bookstore.

“Hey. Can you hear me?”

“Where am I?”

“Hello??”

“What is this?”

“CAN ANYBODY HEAR ME??” 

Those were just a few voices that she could hear that she had learned to tune out from a very young age.

“Hey, doll.” A new voice joined the rest, just brushing against her brain, causing her to stumble as she walked. It was loud enough to interrupt her music and loud enough to startle her. She instinctively went for her mace, thinking it was someone next to her, but when she took a quick look around, nobody was remotely close to her. It was a male voice. Deep enough to stand out, but not too deep to be ignored. Just from two words, she could hear the velvet tones of his voice wash over her senses.

She quickly regained her footing and continued on her way to the bookstore.

“Hey, doll.” the voice whispered again, beside her as she browsed the romance section of the bookstore. She winced and closed her eyes briefly before re-opening them with a sigh. She continued looking on as if nobody said anything.

“I know you can hear me. You can’t ignore me forever.” The voice persisted as it followed her to the next rack of books. The only indication that she heard the voice was the soft sigh that left her lips before she turned around, only to be faced with nobody around her. 

She continued to look on books and venture to another shelf.

“You know, you’re the cutest gal I ever did see. It’s a shame you can’t seem to hear me. I only want to chat. Nobody real has spoken to me in forever. I mean no harm. Unless, you have a man, then he should watch out. I might steal you away from him.” the voice wrapped around her senses like tendrils of hair, warming the back of her neck.

Darcy clenched her jaw and glanced around, making sure no patrons were near her. She had never experienced one of the voices speaking to her with such determination before. It made her uneasy that he could breach her carefully drawn defences. 

“Please, leave me alone.” she whispered harshly. She left the romance aisle to a more populated area of the bookstore and tried to blend in with the crowd.

“There it is! I knew you could hear me. I heard rumours of a girl who could hear people like us and I knew I had to track you down. Good to know my contacts are still reliable.” The voice said triumphantly. 

Darcy ignored him and flipped through a random magazine she pulled from a shelf.

“How can you hear me anyway. I’ve never met anybody else who can. Are you a mutant or something?” 

The girl tilted her head up to the ceiling in frustration, rolled her eyes and moved to a corner of the bookstore where nobody was.

“I won’t talk to you here. Not anywhere. Not anytime. Definitely not in public. Just go away.” the girl whispered under her breath, looking around anxiously.

“Aw, don’t be like that, darling. Don’t you want to get to know me?” the voice teased.

“No, not at all. I don’t want anything to do with you. Just that you leave me alone, in peace.” The girl snarled. 

Silence.

Darcy let out a deep breath of relief. She looked around once again before returning to the romance aisle to grab some books. 

She left the store with her headphones blaring loudly once more to block out all other noises. When she reached her apartment, she put down her purchases and cautiously removed her headphones.

Silence. At least silence from that one voice. She could hear the others, but they were just background noise and she could tune them out easily.

She ventured into her kitchen and poured herself a glass of water, still wary that the voice would return. When it didn’t, she felt the tension leave her body and she decided to treat herself to a nice bath. After all, it had been a trying day with a voice who wouldn’t leave her alone. 

After indulging in some very unhealthy food, she changed into her comfy sweats and pigged out on her delivered food while watching some trashy show that was playing on the TV. Finished with dinner, she retreated to her room and pulled out a book that she had bought from the bookstore earlier, content to spend the rest of her evening reading until she fell asleep. 

“Nice set-up you have here, doll” the voice reappeared, causing her to shriek and leap off her bed.

“What are you doing here?!” She asked, whirling around in her room, of course, failing to find the source of the voice.

“You didn’t really think I would be able to leave you alone, did you?” the voice tinged in amusement, coming from where her desk chair was.

“You’re the first person who could ever hear me. Of course I was going to follow you.”

Now that she was in the privacy of her own home, she wasn’t afraid of giving it a piece of her mind.

“This is an invasion of privacy.” She hissed as she reached in her closet to grab a sweater.

“There’s not much privacy in my world, doll. We all just move together and see each other. Privacy is a luxury.” The voice chortled and she felt him move. 

“Were you watching me?” she asked furiously, tugging her sweater closer to her body.

“Relax, doll. I might be following you, but I’m still a gentleman.”

They stood in silence, she felt him move up close to her and she felt phantom pressure on her arm where she was sure he was touching her. She moved out of his reach and crossed her arms.

“What are you.” She asked.

“I’m a person. Somewhere. Somehow. I’m just…out of my body right now. Or something.” The voice answered, still in the same place where she was before.

“How is this possible? None of the voices have ever persisted enough to actually hold a conversation before. Usually they moan about something else and take off.” she asked again, frowning at air.

“Your guess is as good as mine. I just appeared here. I roamed around for a while, participating in my favourite pastime, people watching. I can still touch people in a way. Humans just think it’s a breeze or someone’s brushed against them. Which someone has. They just can’t see me.” The voice laughed as he went back to the chair.

“I think the real question is, how can you hear me?” the voice asked, curiosity colouring his voice.

Darcy huffed and sat on her bed shrugging her shoulders. It was almost freeing in a way. Being able to talk about her weird ability with somebody…or something else. She had to hide it all her life and even if this was a figment of her imagination, it was still nice to unload her life onto someone.

“I’m insane. Or something. I’ve always felt...more than others. Going to a cemetery is difficult for someone like me. I don’t see ghosts or anything. I feel them. Of course, they’re the ones with unfinished business so they’re always howling at me. Most spirits or ghosts or whatever you are tend to be confused when they first appear. They try to shout at anything that moves when they’re in denial. It’s not like somebody leads them along, you know. It’s a difficult transition.” Darcy picked at a loose thread on her sweater.

She had always been an outsider looking in growing up. Ostracized when she didn’t know what to do with all the voices. Isolated when they deemed her to be abnormal. It only helped her understand the world sooner, hearing all the bemoaning of the unfortunate souls around her. Hence, the Taser and mace being a constant comfort in her purse.

“I’ve trained myself not to acknowledge them. Most of the time they’re not as persistent and they leave me alone. Not you though. You don’t know the definition of leaving someone alone.” Darcy glared at the chair.

“What do you want anyway. Do you have unfinished business? Or are you just here to annoy me.” 

“I’m not sure exactly. I don’t think I’m a ghost. I don’t feel like a ghost. You know, most spirits or whatever we are out there, know you can hear us. You can’t deny that if you were something like me, you’d latch onto the first person who could hold a real conversation with you. A person who can really touch the real world.” The voice said.

“Lucky me.” Darcy said dryly.

“So, now that we have those preliminary introductions out of the way. What’s your name, doll?” the voice asked.

“It’s Darcy.” Darcy said after a moment’s hesitation. She flopped onto her bed, eyes trained to the ceiling.

“And yours?”  
“James. James Buchanan Barnes. But you can call me Bucky. That’s what my friends call me. Called me.” The voice said cheerfully. 

Darcy blew out a gust of air and sat back up to look over at her chair only to utter a sharp scream.

“What. What is it?!” Bucky asked, startled.

There, sitting on her chair was a man. The man where the voice was coming from. He had long shoulder length brown hair. He had some stubble – not enough to be unkempt, just enough to give him a rugged look. His eyes, a piercing blue that met hers gave her a sharp jolt as she moved with her back to the wall on her bed.

“I…I can see you.” Darcy stuttered out as Bucky’s eyes widened.

He approached her as she continued to move back until her back hit the wall.

“No fucking way.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness!! I'm so excited about all the positive feedback on this! I'm so glad you guys are enjoying it so far, I hope you all continue to enjoy! Without further ado, here's the next chapter! There have been questions about where Bucky is - well, all will be revealed in time... :) 
> 
> To help set up a timeline, I intended these events to happen post Captain America Winter Soldier. In the Thor universe, it's post Thor: The Dark World, but this is pretty AU, so it just kind of floats around those timelines, hope that helps!!

“This changes the whole ball game. You can find me. You can figure out where I am and find out what’s wrong with me!” Bucky hooted as he paced around the room as Darcy stayed still in shock against the wall.

His form shimmered as he paced and her eyes followed his every move. He was almost see-through, but he was a clear person standing in front her.

“How is this possible?” she whispered to herself as she blinked several times, as if he would disappear with ever blink.

“I haven’t seen any form before. I’ve only been able to hear them. How did this happen?” Darcy’s voice rose, bordering hysterical.

If people thought she was strange before, this was going to tip her over the edge. She was going to get admitted. Even as wild her adventures with her best friend was, Darcy was supposed to be the more normal one in comparison!

Bucky stopped pacing to hold out his hands in a placating manner.

“Don’t freak out. This is an opportunity to get to know each other better! We can be friends. Now that you can see me, this makes me feel less insane that I wasn’t speaking to just some figment of MY imagination.” he crowed as he grinned at her happily, reminding her of a puppy who had just been praised.

“I’m going insane. I have to be certifiably insane. This can’t be happening.” She stuttered as she got up from her bed and headed towards the door.

“Where are you going?” he frowned as he watched her inch closer to the door.

“I can’t be the only one who can see you. No way. I’m just spending way too much time on my own. The voices got to me. I’ve been hearing them for so long that now I’m even developing storylines for them. I need to go. I need to go out. I need a drink.” She muttered, avoiding his gaze. She grabbed some clothes lying on the top of her hamper as she shut herself in her bathroom to change. 

“I hate to break it to you, doll, but I think you actually might be the only person who can see me. Besides, If I was a figment of your imagination, would you be so shy to change in the bathroom and not out here?” Bucky called to her through the door.

She came out of the bathroom, still avoiding his eyes as she quickly grabbed her purse and exited her apartment quickly, not uttering another word.

“Hey, wait for me!” Bucky said, walking right through the door, following her to the elevator.

Darcy stared at her door, horrified, but not sure what she had expected from a see-through form. She snapped her eyes to his for a split second before turning quickly, facing the elevator doors.

They entered the elevator together. The 3 mirrors substituted for walls in the elevator only reflected her pale face staring back at her. There was nobody else with her, even as she turned to him again, confirming he was there beside her. He was more cheerful than he deserved to be, humming quietly to himself.

She shut her eyes and turned away from him, hitting the button for the lobby.

“You can’t avoid me forever you know. I can go with you anywhere. I’m not sure where you think you can go to hide from me.” Bucky said smugly.

The weirdest part she was able to feel him leaning into her. There was an undeniable pressure as he stuck close to her and she could almost feel the imprint of his hand on her lower back as he followed her out the elevator. 

“Don’t you think you’re being a little presumptuous?” she hissed, walking quicker to avoid his faint touch.

He had the look of an innocent puppy as she turned towards him.

“Why, I don’t know what you mean, doll.” His eyes widened, a picture of innocence with his hands raised up.

Darcy froze needing a moment to gather herself from getting sucked into his charm. After all, she was still a woman who couldn’t resist those blue eyes.

“Just don’t touch me.” She growled before stomping out of her building.

“You can feel my touch?” Bucky looked at her in awe.

“Darcy, wait for me! You are a magnificent woman! Let me pinch your adorable cheeks!” Bucky chased after her into the streets. 

He followed her onto the subway. The subway was relatively empty, but Darcy scanned the looks on people’s faces to see if they would show any recognition or acknowledge the man beside her. Nobody even spared her a glance, but Darcy was not deterred.

They exited the underground tunnels and onto the streets as she approached a club, with music playing so loudly, the vibrations could be felt beneath their feet in front of the club. She headed to the back of the line and he followed suit, waiting for entry. Bucky looked around enthusiastically bopping to the music while Darcy stubbornly ignored him.

Darcy looked around to see if anybody noticed the bopping man beside her. When nobody seemed to acknowledge him, she deflated for a second before she straightened and tapped on the shoulder of the girl in front of her.

“Excuse me, can you see my friend here?” Darcy asked, pointing next to her.

The girl shook her head before turning back to face the front and Darcy’s throat suddenly felt very dry.

“We’re friends now? I knew it, it would only be a matter of time before my charm worked on you!” Bucky pumped his fists in the air, seemingly oblivious to Darcy’s turmoil. 

When they got to the front of the line where the bouncer was, Darcy showed her ID and she nervously glanced beside her.

“What about my…friend here?” Darcy asked, all the confidence knocked out of her from the two failed attempts of others acknowledging him. 

The bouncer gave her a funny look and nodded. Darcy’s eyes widened, suddenly hopeful.

“Really? Oh thank you, thank you! I thought I was going crazy –” Darcy could almost cry from relief. 

“Look lady, if the 20 people behind you are your friends, then that’s great for you. But don’t try to be funny and hold up the line. If your friend is supposed to be meeting you, they can join the end of the line like everybody else, or they should have come on time.” The bouncer said, glancing behind her.

“You’re telling me you don’t see this man standing beside me?” Darcy pushed, gesturing towards Bucky, where she could clearly see him.

The people lined up behind her were beginning to grumble and the bouncer was getting impatient.

“Are you drunk already, lady? Are you in, or are you out? C’mon, let’s go.” The bouncer ushered her in as Darcy ran her hand through her hair.

“I told you, doll. You’re special.” Bucky said beside her, causing her to jump.

She growled under her breath and made a beeline to the bar.

“What can I get for you?” the bartender called over the loud music.

“Old Fashioned. Two of them, please.” Darcy called. She swallowed, glanced at Bucky beside her and back at the bartender.

“One for me, one for my friend here.” She tried again, pointing clearly this time to where Bucky was standing beside her.

Bucky grinned, almost bouncing up and down with glee.

The bartender raised his eyebrows at her and glanced at Bucky. 

"There's nobody there, miss. If you want both drinks for yourself, you don't have to make an excuse.” The bartender said, moving away to make the drinks.

The colour drained from Darcy’s face as she looked at Bucky with horror, the reality finally settling in. Bucky shrugged, unapologetic.

“Nice choice of drink though, doll. I sure hope my hands don’t go straight through it.” Bucky tested his hands on the surface of the bar and watched dejectedly as they went straight through. 

The bartender put the drinks down in front of Darcy and she robotically put down some money for the drinks. 

“You’re sure you can’t see him?” Darcy went in for one last desperate attempt to not feel insane.

The bartender grabbed her money, shook his head and waved her away, moving to service the next patron.

She carried the drinks to a secluded area of the club and sat down on shaky legs.

Bucky followed her and slid into the booth next to her, and put his arm around her. She shuddered as she felt something cold touch her shoulders and felt the unmistakeable weight of an arm. It was then that she noticed his arm wasn’t flesh at all. It was cold and felt like metal on her skin. Before she could closely examine the arm, Bucky noticed her scrutiny and retracted his arm, the most uncomfortable she had seen him since her ability to see him.

“Sorry.” He muttered before trying to grab at one of the glasses. His hand went straight through it, making him curse under his breath. 

Darcy snorted and grabbed her drink and downed it in one gulp. She took what was meant to be his as well and threw that back before she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Woah, slow down there, doll. You need to pace yourself.” Bucky said.

“Why do you keep calling me, doll?” Darcy couldn’t help but ask.

Bucky scratched his head and shrugged.

“I’m not sure. It’s just something that I’ve picked up somewhere, I guess.”

“What do you even remember before being in this form?” Darcy asked, the alcohol spurring her on to speak to him, even in public.

“Nothing, really. I get flashes every so often, but nothing concrete enough for me to start any search. I only remember my name. But I can’t touch anything or influence anybody to look me up.” Bucky peered at Darcy who was now bopping her head to the music as well. She clearly was not listening to anything he had said and was now mumbling to herself.

“Maybe if I’m drunk enough, I can convince myself tomorrow that this was all a dream.” Darcy muttered to herself, ignoring Bucky. 

She got out of the booth, the alcohol giving her some strength back to her previously wobbly legs. She elbowed her way through the crowd of people on the dance floor with Bucky following close behind. 

Darcy left the club, mumbling apologies to the people she shoved in her haste to get out. She stumbled into an alleyway before heaving and all the contents of her stomach came tumbling out. She felt a phantom touch of a hand rubbing her back and she jerked away staring at Bucky.

“I told you to pace yourself, doll.” Bucky murmured, with a soft look on his face. 

“That’s what I used to tell Steve all the time when the kid got too ahead of himself.” Bucky said. He stopped with a look of wonder on his face.

“I remember Steve! Steve, skinny. Pale. Steve…” Bucky excitedly said as he jumped around like a kid at his new found memory.

He frowned to himself and scrunched up his face, clearly attempting to remember more. Darcy felt something inside soften as she opened her mouth to ask a question, someone else stepped into the alleyway, causing her to stiffen.

“Hey, bitch. You knocked into me in there and stepped on my foot.” A tall man wearing a suit approached her.

Darcy tensed and put her hand in her purse while Bucky puffed out his chest and stood in front of her.

“You stay away from her, you Neanderthal.” Bucky threatened.

Darcy scoffed when the man obviously showed no indication of hearing or seeing Bucky.

“He can’t see you or hear you. Nice threat.” Darcy said sarcastically as the man took a startled step back.

“Who are you talking to?” the man asked, peering in the dimly lit area, seeing nobody.

“Great, just what I needed, somebody else to confirm that I’ve completely lost my marbles.” Darcy griped as she found what she was looking for in her purse and gripped it tightly.

“I could have told you that already hours ago when we were in the safety of your apartment. Actually, I did tell you that. I’ve been wandering around for a long time, nobody has been able to see me or even hear me.” Bucky said, maintaining his stance in front of Darcy and his eyes never leaving the uninvited addition to their alleyway, unbothered that he really couldn’t do much to protect Darcy.

“I guess there’s no denying it. If I’ve finally lost my marbles. They always said this was bound to happen. I guess better now than when I was in school where kids could eat me alive.” Darcy sighed, thinking of the arm that had caused goosebumps to appear on her skin in a heated club.

“I’m a someone, not a something.” Bucky chided while the man in the alleyway stepped forward menacingly as he glared at Darcy.

“I don’t care if you’re crazy or just talking to yourself to divert the attention, but you stepped on me and pushed me in the club, you dumb bitch. What are you going to do to make it up to me?” the man growled, tired of being ignored.

Darcy stared at the man with a raised brow and let him have a piece of her mind.

“Listen, man. I’ve had a really tough day. I’ve been hearing voices, which isn’t a new development, this has been happening all my life. I’ve been teased, recommended for mental institutions and I thought I was blocking them out pretty well to avoid suspicion, but then today some ghost guy apparition thing – I don’t know what you are – appears in front of me and wants me to help him out. I’ve become that cartoon guy Paranorman or something and it’s freaking me out.” Darcy snapped, ignoring the way Bucky turned to look at her with amusement glinting in his eyes.

“I came to the club tonight not to offend assholes like you, but to figure out if I was going insane or if other people could also see him. I’ve never been able to see ghosts before, and today, just now, right now, this moment is confirming that I have finally lost the plot have lost the plot and nobody else can see him or hear. So, if you could, please, sir, cut me some slack, or tell me the good news that you can see him too, that would be great. But, if you can’t and don’t cut me some slack, I don’t give a fuck because who follows a lady out into an alleyway where she is clearly losing her mind and corners her? I think you’re creepier than the ghost man thing and that’s saying a lot. You can fuck off.” Darcy pulled her hand out of her purse and clutched her mace tightly and pressed the trigger. 

The contents went straight through Bucky and hit the creep directly in the eyes, causing him to stumble forward, in Darcy’s direction.

“YOU’RE GOING TO BE SORRY FOR THIS, YOU BITCH. I didn’t even do anything to you.” the man roared, lashing out instinctively, waving his arms around, trying to find any way to make contact.

“You really need to revamp your vocabulary if the only insult you can throw around is ‘bitch’.” Darcy cringed away from his arms as he lumbered towards her, blind. His hand made contact with her arm and she felt a moment of pain before she leapt away, clutching her arm.

Bucky growled, eyes flashing dangerously as he swung his metal arm in the direction of the man’s head. Surprisingly, he made physical contact with a clang and the man collapsed onto the ground with a groan.

Darcy and Bucky stared at each other in shock and looked at the man.

“Holy fuck. You can touch things?!” Darcy said, in disbelief.

“Oh my god. I think I just did. I could feel his dumb head on my arm. I just knocked the guy out.” Bucky breathed.

He quickly tried to put his arms on the brick wall next to them, but his arms went straight through.

“Never mind then.” Bucky shook his head, but turned his attention quickly to Darcy.

“How’s your arm. Did he get you. That dumb fuck. I should have knocked him out sooner. You shouldn’t have maced him at such close proximity, though. What if it got into your eyes? Then you’d be vulnerable to him if you’re blind too!” Bucky clucked around her as she felt his hands gently brush over her arm where she knew there was going to be a bruise.

“I’m fine, mom.” Darcy rolled her eyes, but let him fret around for a few more seconds before she became aware that they were still out in public.

“C’mon. We need to get out of here before his friends notice their resident douchebag is gone and comes looking for him.” Darcy said, pulling her arm away from Bucky and making her way out of the alleyway.

“By the way, you despicable human being, you followed me, an innocent woman who was by herself, into this alleyway, asking for a confrontation. That’s what you did to deserve your eyes wanting to escape your body, you asswipe.” Darcy spun on her heel and stomped out of the alley without a backwards glance.

Bucky glared disdainfully at the body on the ground and spat on the body a few times before experimentally punching his metal arm at the man again only to go through his body. Bucky stared at his arm in confusion while Darcy stood at the entrance of the alleyway with her hands on her hips.

“C’mon, Barnes. Are you coming, or not?” Darcy called, her voice echoing in the alley.

Bucky grinned and hastened to her and they walked back to her apartment together.

As they made their getaway, the man on the ground twitched and his hands tightened into fists. He knew a Barnes. He was almost sure this was the same Barnes he was looking for. And he knew exactly what he needed to do to get revenge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys like this chapter, I might post the next one tomorrow, OR later tonight, depending on how the writing goes. 
> 
> Cheers!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, another chapter today! I wanted to move the story along just a little bit and start to get into the meat of it. The next two chapters are still a bit slow, but we're getting to the explanation I swear! Just bear with me, haha.

Finally, in the safety of her own home again, Darcy grabbed a water bottle, sat on her couch and stared as Bucky went around her apartment trying to touch everything, only to have his hands go through everything.

“So, you mentioned a Steve before. Back there. In the alley. Was that a friend or something? Do you remember stuff?” Darcy asked as she made herself comfortable and gulped down the water, suddenly feeling parched.

“I guess. It came as a flash while you were busy throwing up. I remembered a moment, in my life, I guess where I had to rub someone’s back while they were throwing up and his name just flashed in my brain.” Bucky said, looking at Darcy’s book collection which spanned across 4 bookshelves, 2 against each side wall with her TV on the back wall.

“You have an alarming amount of books about different ways to cook with cheese.” Bucky commented and Darcy rolled her eyes.

“I love a good cheesy potato dish every now and then, sue me. Or cheese fries. Or Mac and Cheese with bacon.” Darcy’s mouth watered, but she ignored her grumbling stomach.

“No, I’m not complaining. I hope you’ll make me a slammin’ grilled cheese sandwich one day. I love the basics.” Bucky said.

“Do you remember anything else?” Darcy asked, diverting the topic and moving to her bathroom to change back into her pyjamas. 

“Only bits and pieces. When I first woke up in this form, everything was foreign. Nothing made sense. Suddenly nobody looked up while they were walking down the streets anymore. Everybody’s always looking down at these things that light up in their hands. Maybe that’s part of the reason nobody else sees anything. I don’t remember any of these books. I didn’t know grey came in fifty shades.” Bucky mused and Darcy immediately flushed and rushed into the living room.

“Yeah. Grey is a very diverse colour okay?” Darcy snapped as she pulled her hair into a ponytail staring at him with her hands on her hips.

Bucky put his hands up in mock surrender as he moved to sit on the couch. The clock read 1:00 AM and Darcy groaned.

“You can sleep on the couch. I will sleep in my bed. I don’t even know if you need to sleep. I don’t care. I need sleep. I will figure out what to do with you tomorrow morning. After sleep has come and after I get some grub.” Darcy grumbled as she grabbed some pillows and blankets from a closet outside of the bathroom.

“I think I sleep. I don’t really think I noticed my habits until this moment. I just…sort of floated on, trying to find someone to look at me.” Bucky said with his brow furrowed, as if trying to remember.

Darcy stared at him for a second, taking in his features. He really was gorgeous - his eyes held a mystery to them (although that might be because he really didn't know who he was), his hair looked surprisingly soft (she wasn't sure if he took showers in his form) and his mouth...no, she wouldn't think about his mouth. Not at all. 

“Just don’t touch anything. Or try to touch anything. I’m not trying to be insensitive here, but I saw what you did to that creepy guy in the alleyway. I don’t need a hole in my wall.” Bucky puffed up his chest in pride.

“I guess it’s too late to ask if you’ll go find someone else to haunt, right?” Darcy asked, secretly wanting to see his grin again. 

He had a stressed look on his face trying to remember how he previously spent his days and it was kind of pathetic to look at. Bucky’s features smoothed out and he gave her a boyish grin – the one she was starting to like too much. Gah, Darcy caught herself staring too long at his lips again and had to drag her gaze away.

“Of course not, doll. I’m sticking around. After all, who else am I going to find who can mace a man with no warning whatsoever. I think you’re my kind of gal.” Bucky bounded over to Darcy, almost intending to give her a hug before stopping himself midway. He glanced at her arm and saw the bruise forming there and frowned again.

“I never thought much about where my physical form was or feel desperate to be in it again until that moment, you know. A man who could so easily try to intimidate someone like that is garbage and I just saw red. For some reason the rage was just so much it was like I willed it to happen.” Bucky said softly, gently brushing his fingertips on the mark.

“I saw a memory or somethin’ flash in front of my eyes when I made contact with the jerk. It looked like Steve and it looked like I was pullin’ two guys off of him as well. What’s it with you scrappy kinds liking to pick fights?” Bucky asked lightly even as a grin tugged lightly on his lips.

Darcy’s breath hitched as she felt his feather light touch and felt her heartbeat speed up. She noticed that as he spoke of his memories, an accent came out, just faintly, not enough for her to place it. She cleared her throat and backed away slightly.

“I’ll have you know I had it all under control. I am not scrappy, I am a joy to be around. And maybe if we’re lucky, you’re like Pinocchio and you’ve proven yourself worthy enough to be a real boy and you’ll be back in your body tomorrow, away from my apartment.” Darcy said and turned quickly to go into her room.

She heard Bucky’s soft laughter and her chest seized at the sound. 

“Goodnight, doll. Thanks for bein’ so interesting.” All of a sudden he was right next to her, his knuckles gently brushing her cheek and before she could register the movement, he was gone, back at his place at the couch.

“One more rule. No floating through walls in this apartment. You do not come into my room without my permission. Do you understand, Barnes?” Darcy said roughly as she tried to hide her sudden chest seizures.

“Yes ma’am.” Bucky saluted her with a goofy grin and fell onto the sofa, ending the conversation.

Darcy closed the door to her room sharper than she intended and leaned against it, putting her hand above her heart, feeling it beat faster than normal. She took a deep breath and collapsed onto her bed squeezing her eyes shut.

She listened closely, but couldn’t hear anything from the living room. She opened her eyes, staring into the darkness, not seeing anything but dark shapes in her room. She twisted and turned as she tried to find a comfortable position, while still being hyper aware of the other being in her apartment. 

Suddenly, she was wide awake as she thought about Bucky. Huffing quietly to herself, she got up and grabbed her laptop from the desk. She quietly opened it and opened her internet browser.

“James Buchanan Barnes.” Darcy whispered to herself as she typed it into the search bar.

The search results populated made Darcy’s eyes get so large she thought they were going to pop out of her head.

“Holy fuck.” She breathed.

She glanced at the wall separating her and Bucky, glanced back at her browser and blinked several times.

“Impossible. No way. No.” She slammed her laptop shut and stared at it as if it was a demon.

She breathed heavily as she tried to digest what she just read. 

James Buchanan Barnes had died. In the 1940s. With Steve Rogers. Captain America.

Darcy did some deep breathing exercises to calm down enough to think rationally.

“I’m crazy. I have finally lost my shit and I’ve conjured up this dead guy from the past. That’s what’s happened.” Darcy said to herself while still staring at her computer.

As much as she tried to deny it, she had never done research on Captain America or Bucky Barnes and her brain would never be able to create such an elaborate, detailed man.

She blindly grabbed her purse and dug out her phone frantically.

She scrolled through her contacts until she found the one she was looking for. She hit the name and waited for the call to go through.

“H’lo?” a voice filtered through the phone, obviously just woken up.

“Jane? Jane. I’m…I think I might have lost my mind.” Darcy whispered furiously while keeping an eye on her door.

“What?” the voice was groggy on the other line.

“Darce, it’s 1:30 am. You couldn’t have waited 8 more hours to be crazy?” Jane groaned.

“Who is it?” A man’s voice filtered over the call, obviously woken from Darcy’s call.

“Just Darcy, honey. Go back to sleep.” Jane said and Darcy could her the rustling of sheets as Jane got out of her bed to go somewhere else to take the call.

“Jane. I have a man in my apartment. Who isn’t a traditional man. I don’t know what he is.” Darcy whispered.

“Darce, that’s a little discriminating, don’t you think? People have the right to be whoever they want to be these days. Don’t say that. Who is it? Why did you take them in? What’s happening?” Jane asked, yawning in between her questions.

“Not like that. He’s, a ghost? A spirit? Someone who has been dead since 1940’s? I don’t know what he is.” Darcy said tugged at her hair, the pain grounding her to reality. 

“Darce, honey. You’re a woman of science. Use your deduction skills to figure out what he is. The unknown is a marvellous opportunity to make it known. Don’t be afraid of what you don’t know, be afraid of what you do know. Once you figure it out for sure, then you can freak out. After all, we’ve seen more than our fair share of strange, haven’t we?” Jane said in her matter of fact way.

“We thought Thor was strange and scary, but once we found out he was the God of Thunder, we were fine, weren’t we? Don’t let a little apparition scare you. Figure it out with that beautiful brain of yours, darling. I’m sure you’ll be fine. If not, Thor can scare him away for you.” Jane added.

Darcy nodded slowly.

“Yes, you’re right. I need more information. I need to figure it out. Thanks Jane, you’re the best.” Darcy said quickly and hung up on her friend, not even apologetic that she had woken her at an inappropriate time.

She opened her laptop again with newfound confidence and scrolled through some articles.

“Train, Red Skull, falling to his death. American hero. Best friend of Captain America. Of course he is. Why wouldn’t he be.” Darcy muttered as she skimmed several articles.

“Smithsonian Institution houses the original artifacts from the World War II battles that once belonged to Captain Steve Rogers and Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes.” Darcy read as an idea formed in her head.

She went on an airline website and quickly reserved herself a ticket to Washington, DC, scheduled to fly out tomorrow afternoon. She was suddenly thankful nobody could see Bucky so she wouldn’t have to pay for his air fare as well. 

“Well, at least he’s a famous person where there are real facts and history we can dig into.” Darcy reassured herself.

She texted Jane to let her know she wouldn’t be able to help with research for a bit as she conducted her own research on a 102-year-old artifact.

She felt her eyelids droop and closed her laptop and fell into a fitful sleep with dreams of a metal armed Bucky with question marks popping up everywhere.

But her last thought before drifting off was, she really hated flying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for today, more to come tomorrow. I think I'll try to post every day this week to get all the background story out there until we get to the nitty gritty and then post once a week to really work on all the details. 
> 
> As always, I love to hear your feedback and let me know if you're enjoying it so far and any predictions you might have! :)
> 
> Cheers!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the kudos & the very nice comments!! They encourage me to continue to write more and I hope you all continue to enjoy! :)
> 
> To the Washington we go...

After a few hours of sleep, she woke with a start as she looked around her room. Nothing looked out of place other than her computer still laying on her bed where she left it from last night. Last night’s events came rushing back to her as she glanced at her wall as if she could see through it to see if Bucky was still there. She couldn’t hear anything and she panicked, wondering if he had been transported back to his body. Or if he disappeared. Or if he had been a figment of her imagination all along.

She rolled out of her bed, getting tangled in her blankets, almost sliding her computer onto the floor before hopping her way out of her bedroom after stubbing her toe.

“Good morning, darlin’” Bucky was lounging on the couch, right where she left him the night before with his hair looking sinfully tussled. How was that even possible? He wasn’t even a physical form!

Darcy breathed a sigh of relief and she waved, embarrassed of her bed head, her rumpled clothes and her makeup smeared all over her face from last night. She slowly retreated back to her bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror.

“You’re not crazy. You’re just a little insane. It’s fine. This is all fine. I’m just going to go to Washington and figure out some history. I just regret buying the tickets instead of road tripping. But do I really want to be stuck in the car with that man out there? That’s too dangerous. No, it’s fine, it’s strictly scientific. Try to jog his memory, figure out why he’s here. Find his body or maybe not and send him on his way. It’s fine. Everything is fine.” Darcy pep talked herself and quickly got herself ready for the day.

She exited the bathroom to see that Bucky had left his makeshift bed and was prowling around, once again trying to touch stuff in her apartment. He straightened up when he saw her standing there and gave her a grin.

“How are you feeling this morning?” He asked, approaching her with considerably less speed than the night before, as if trying not to spook her again.

She didn’t say anything as she looked at him, now knowing who he was and his significance to history. She was still so mind blown she didn’t know if she could bring it up yet. She let him approach and they stood a foot apart, staring at each other silently. She saw him in almost a completely different light than last night. Sure, she was still freaked out, but she had a newfound respect for him. She also felt so sad for him that he didn’t remember his past, even if it was traumatizing. 

She saw his fingers twitch, knowing he wanted to see if he could still feel her warmth that he so clearly lacked all this time wandering. If she was being honest, she was curious too to see if last night’s touch was a fluke.  
“Good. Fine. Better than yesterday.” She said as she slowly reached out her hand to touch his silver arm.

He flinched back as he folded the arm behind him. Using his flesh arm, he met her hand halfway and their fingers brushed against each other. His fingers didn’t go through her like he did with others. They felt solid. She couldn’t quite wrap her fingers around his hand, but she didn’t go through it either. It was a strange feeling and oddly intimate, but he was in awe that he could actually feel something and not go straight through it. Their eyes met and Bucky grinned bashfully as if shy about his desire to feel someone’s presence. 

Darcy cleared her throat and pulled her hand away, moving towards the fridge.

“So, are we going to find out who I am today?” Bucky asked, peering in her fridge, curiously.

“I…did some research. Last night. This morning.” Darcy said carefully as she pulled out some milk and grabbed the cereal and a bowl from a cupboard above the fridge. 

She sat at the kitchen table as Bucky settled in across from her.

“Wow, very proactive. What did you find?” Bucky asked, more interested in her cereal than the topic at hand.

She poured her cereal and milk and stirred the mixture slowly while peering at him, startled to find that he had lost interest in the cereal and was now staring at her. She felt conflicted on whether to tell him the full truth or not.

“Not much…yet. I think I found a lead that could help us. We’re going to take a trip to Washington. DC. I think there’s some valuable insight on who you were…are…there.” Darcy said, taking a few bites of her cereal.

“Washington, DC? That’s odd. I don’t recall ever being there. I can feel that I’m around here. I don’t remember hopping on a plane to get here.” Bucky asked, his eyes searching hers.

“Don’t ask questions. We’re going. I mean you don’t have to go. You can stay here. It doesn’t even matter. It’s not even a long thing. It’s maybe a one-day thing.” Darcy sputtered, unable to force the words out of her mouth.

She dumped the rest of her cereal down the sink as she kept her back to him.

“We’re leaving in a few hours. You don’t have to come. You can stay here. Or whatever. Do whatever you want. Doesn’t matter.” Darcy said as she went to her room to quickly pack a bag for the trip.

“Oh, I would never let a damsel go alone. Even though I know you can take care of yourself. Besides, I don’t remember if I’ve ever been on a plane before.” Bucky’s amused voice reached her in her room and she sighed.

Darcy cringed. How was she supposed to tell him that he actually died from falling out of moving contraption meant to take passengers across long distances, like a plane? Talk about inappropriate small talk during the plane ride. And how was she supposed to broach the topic of him being 102-years-old? Not only that, but he had died 74 years ago during the second World War. Then she would have to break it to him that his best friend was Captain America, who she didn’t even know if he was still alive. She didn’t get that far into her research before she made the impulsive decision to go. 

“And I thought my best friend dating a God was weird. A God of Thunder, no less.” Darcy muttered under her breath as she packed her laptop and her chargers to go.

“What was that?” Bucky called from the living room.

“Nothing.” Darcy said quickly.

“Come on. Let’s go.” Darcy said with her backpack in hand.

“I thought you said we had a few hours. Don’t you want to tell me a little bit about myself?” Bucky asked, looking confused.

“I lied. We don’t have time to go over your life story. Which I don’t know about. Anyway, this is the new age where we have to get to the airports a whole day early with the whole security issue and stuff. You wouldn’t know about that. Because that’s what you said yesterday. You don’t even know what phones are. Okay, enough chit chat, let’s go.” Darcy was the worst at lying this blatantly. She always rambled and random things to stop herself from saying the things she was holding back. 

She didn’t dare look Bucky in the eye, afraid that she would spill everything she found about him. Bucky followed her out with a strange look on his face which Darcy ignored. They got to the airport with only a slight delay with Darcy begrudgingly giving up her mace and Taser which she grumbled about under her breath all the way onto the plane.

“Don’t the voices bother you?” Bucky asked, pulling her attention away from the mean security officer who forced her to relinquish her weapons. 

Darcy put in her headphones and pretended she was on the phone with someone as she rushed them through the gates to board the plane.

“You learn tricks to tune it out really quick. The more I concentrate on what the voices are saying, the crazier it’ll get and the crazier I’ll get. Trust me, we do not need to see that.” 

Darcy found herself with the best (or worst) of luck with nobody sitting beside her in her row. She kept her headphones on and the voices at bay. She sat next to the window and ignored Bucky who sat next to her and was looking around everywhere, taking in the whole experience with gusto. 

“I didn’t think this through properly.” Darcy grumbled, thoroughly regretting her decision to fly as the last of the passengers filed in and everybody started to get settled into their seats with the help of the flight attendants.

“What do you mean? This is great. Look at all these people. Though, that child over there does look a little needy. And a bit green now. I hope they don’t hurl. Or maybe do. That would be fascinating to see what happens to vomit in the air.” Bucky clapped his hands and turned to Darcy with an expectant look.

Darcy looked at him incredulously.

“You are a child. What do you think happens to vomit in in the air? This isn’t space. Tons of people throw up all the time. Nothing happens. It doesn’t float. It just sits there. Like a blob.” Darcy said, speaking faster than usual. 

Bucky took a closer look at Darcy and noticed she was looking quite pale.

“Are you okay?” he asked, sitting closer to her, really getting into her personal space.

She leaned back away from him and tore her gaze from him, looking out the window, which in hindsight may not have been the best choice for someone who was afraid of heights and flying.

“I’m fine.” She grunted.

This was the only positive on the plane, she mused. Nobody really cared what you were doing as long as you weren’t a screaming baby. People often didn’t look closely enough to know she seemed to be talking to herself. She did have to remind herself to tone down her voice though to not draw attention to herself.

Bucky watched Darcy closely as the flight attendants came around and made sure the passengers were wearing their seatbelts properly, Darcy included. He watched as she smiled weakly to the flight attendant as she got paler by the minute and sweat started to bead on her forehead.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Darcy?” Bucky asked again, this time reaching out to touch her forehead.

“I’m fine.” Darcy snapped, startling the flight attendant who was helping the passenger in front of her.  
Darcy grimaced apologetically before pushing the blinds for the window shut and staring at the gray plastic. 

Bucky frowned as he settled in, while keeping an eye on Darcy.

The plane started on the runway and Bucky saw Darcy’s knuckles whiten as she clutched at the seat arm rest tightly. As the plane generated more speed, he realized Darcy was alarmingly pale and her hand almost looked like it could crack the armrest under pressure. Her eyes were clenched closed and she was taking some shallow breaths while whispering something to herself, almost like a chant.

Bucky reached out to her hand with his flesh hand and focused all his energy on not going straight through her hand and gripped her hand lightly in his own. Surprisingly, she gripped back and his hand automatically curled around hers.

He leaned in closer and heard her chanting, “I’m fine. I’m fine.” 

The plane stabilized in the air and Darcy breathed a sigh of relief.

“You never said anything about being afraid to fly.” Bucky said in amusement.

“I’m not afraid to fly. That was a temporary misguidance of emotions in my brain.” Darcy said, snider now that they were in the air. She leaned her head back into her seat, exhausted from take-off.

“Thank god this is a short flight and I don’t have to sit in this box of death for too long.” Darcy muttered, still unwilling to open her eyes.

Bucky laughed softly as he also leaned back into his seat, now reassured that Darcy was going to be okay. For over an hour, Darcy kept her eyes partially shut, only opening them when the flight attendant came by or if she wanted to make sure Bucky was still there. As the announcement came for the landing, Bucky offered his hand to Darcy and after a slight hesitation, she grabbed on and he hid his smile from her as she clutched at it like a lifeline.

Bucky was almost expecting Darcy to kiss the ground when they landed, but she primly informed him that she was a lady, and ladies don’t behave in such a manner, but if he wanted to kiss the ground, he was more than welcome to. 

So, he did just that, to thank whatever gods were there for allowing Darcy a safe flight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter, a little more fluff building up to the Smithsonian. 
> 
> Tomorrow's chapter will be longer! As always, leave me your comments/reactions/thoughts!
> 
> Cheers!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To the Smithsonian we go!

After the traumatizing flight, Darcy rushed them out of the airport to rent a car for their trek to the Smithsonian.

“Do the voices change with the destination?” Bucky asked, curious about her ability.

“I guess. I never really noticed. They’re all moaning about something. It doesn’t matter where they are.” She answered, distracted with putting her things in the car. 

She waved her hands half-heartedly in the air as if dismissing the voices like smoke. She got into the car and Bucky hastened to do the same as she quickly pulled out of the parking lot.

“We are driving back to New York. Forget about the plane. Who needs the plane. Nobody. Definitely not me.” Darcy ranted to herself as she merged into traffic.

Bucky snorted as he settled in comfortably and watched the traffic in front of them.

“It wasn’t so bad. Besides, you said it yourself, it was a ‘temporary misguidance of emotions in your brain.’” Bucky put air quotes around her words.

“I changed my mind. It was a temporary moment of insanity. More than usual.” Darcy said.

Bucky laughed as he looked out the window, watching the world pass by him.

“You know, nothing looks familiar to me for some reason. It’s like I was from a way different time period or something. Now, after wandering for so long, it feels normal, but I know it’s not normal. It’s so hard to remember anything when nothing looks familiar anymore. How can I try to remember who I am when nothing seems real?” Bucky sighed, seeming frustrated for the first time at his inability to dig into his memories.

Darcy glanced over at him as she swallowed nervously.

“Well, technology has been moving pretty fast in the past…decade…or something.” Darcy said, carefully.

Bucky shrugged.

“It’s just frustrating. Sometimes, I’ll see something and a memory will suddenly flash into my brain, but then it looks so different that the thought just goes away.” Bucky turned his attention to Darcy who shifted uncomfortably.

Darcy felt her heart ache for him and tried to break it to him as easily as she could.

“I think this might be obvious, or a huge shock to you. But, you aren’t from…here…in this time.” Darcy said, keeping her eyes trained on the road.

There was a slight pause and intake of breath from Bucky. 

“Ah, that’s why we’re going to the Smithsonian, isn’t it?” Bucky asked, putting the pieces together.

Darcy nodded, looking at Bucky from the corner of her eye. He looked perfectly relaxed, frustration melting out of his expression. 

“Doesn’t it bother you? Knowing that you could possibly be dead? Or not exist anymore?” Darcy asked.

“No point in getting bothered by something you don’t know about yet. At least now there’s an explanation to why everything looks so different. If I’m dead, I’m no worse off than where I was before. At least I’ll know, right? If I’m still alive, there might be some hope in reviving me. At least we have somewhere to start.” Bucky said.

Darcy snorted. Reviving a 102-year-old corpse who’s body they couldn’t find? She had a higher chance of getting hit by lightning than reviving Bucky. 

“You can tell me. I won’t faint. I won’t freak out. I kind of expected to not be alive at this point.” Bucky reassured her.

Darcy remained silent as they approached the museum and she found a parking spot. She parked the car and took a deep breath, turning to look at Bucky.

“Okay, listen. I didn’t mean to keep this from you, but it was a pretty big shock to me too. Before we go inside, I want to warn you, so you’re not blindsided.” Darcy took a deep breath.

“The internet says that you were born in 1917. That means, you’re 102. Enlisted in 1942 for the second World War, you were a Sergeant. Your regiment was captured by some group, but it was kept hush hush by the government and…history says you fell out of a train and plummeted to your death…in 1945, meaning you died, 74 years ago. To this day, your body was never found, making revival slim.” Darcy spewed out the facts that she could remember as quickly as possible as if it would lighten the blow.

Bucky froze, taking in the information. Darcy glanced away from him as she continued on.

“We’re here because this museum has the original artifacts from the World War II battles you fought. Alongside your best friend, Captain Steve Rogers. That might be the Steve that you keep remembering. He also plummeted to his death in 1945, but recently they found him…in a block of ice. I’m not sure where he is or if he’s still alive right now, but I thought it might help jog your memory if we saw some things of yours.” Darcy peered at Bucky to gauge his reaction.

“I’m sorry. I should have asked you first. Or told you before we came here. I just wasn’t sure what to say. I know it’s weird. It’s really weird for me. No offence. I thought the weirdest thing that would ever happen to me was seeing my best friend’s boyfriend shoot thunder out of this hammer thing. He’s the God of Thunder. He’s a really nice guy. He just doesn’t understand all of Earth’s customs. Like when he wants something he can’t just smash the cup to the ground. It startles people.” Darcy rambled, filling the silence between them.

She closed her mouth with a snap to stop herself from talking. They sat in silence for a few moments until Bucky regained his senses.

“Right. Okay. Well, we’re here. So I guess let’s go in and see what I can remember.” Bucky said quietly and Darcy nodded, almost frantically to get out of the stifling tension of the car.

The museum was relatively empty; nobody was in the World War II – Captain America exhibit which Darcy was thankful for. There were videos of the two best friends with no sound playing in the background. They could hear a speech being made by Captain America in the background. Their weapons were on display protected by a box along with photos taken during that time. Darcy looked at all the items around her and turned her attention on Bucky.

He didn’t seem to notice anything around him, except for a set of photos on the wall. It was a photo of his face with a description of his acts of heroism along with an explanation of the Howling Commandos with their photo. Next to that, was a photo of just Bucky and Steve, smiling at some joke that had been made, looking away from the photographer.

Bucky reached out slowly towards Steve, as if reminiscing on a past he couldn’t see. Bucky then whirled around wildly, taking in the rest of the exhibit, almost in disbelief. Darcy felt his sadness in her bones as she watched Bucky take in his past. She blinked furiously against the tears that suddenly appeared, threatening to overwhelm her. She couldn’t tear her attention away from him as he went from one artifact to the next, soaking up all the information he could. 

How strange it must be to him to see his whole life play out in front of him, with none of his own memories to remember. As he approached another photo of Steve, his face was so tender and reverent, she couldn’t hold back a sob.

Bucky startled out of his reverie and turned to look at her and quickly walked over to her.

“Doll, don’t cry. Why are you crying?” he asked, his thumbs swiping under her eyes to wipe at the tears.

“Sorry. I’m sorry. I’m not crying. Ignore me.” Darcy stuttered, wiping at her tears.

“I’m not like this usually, I swear.” She managed as she took several deep breaths.

“I know you’re not. You didn’t even cry yesterday when you were confronted with that jackass. It’s okay. I guess I’m glad someone else can feel so much. At least you care, right?” Bucky shot her a grin, that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Darcy huffed a watery giggle and they lapsed in silence again.

“It’s weird, you know.” Bucky began as they made their way to a bench and sat down together, watching a reel of the Commandos play in the background.

“I wish I could cry and have the same reaction as you. It's almost numbing. I can't feel anything. I mean, it’s all written here. The history. I was a real person. It all really happened. It’s all here. But, I don’t remember a single thing. It’s coming back, I guess. In bits and pieces. But now, I’m questioning is that real or is that just because I see these things and I’m putting together a story in my head? I’m not really sure what’s real and what’s not. I mean, I mean, I guess it’s all real. But what’s a memory and what’s just made up?” Bucky tried to explain.

Darcy reached over and put her hand on top of Bucky’s and squeezed lightly. She retracted her hand before someone saw her holding her hand on top of nothing in thin air. They saw visitors coming in and out of the exhibit, oohing and ahhing over Captain America. Bucky looked at them wistfully, jealous that they could feel so much for someone they never knew, while he could barely remember the person he was. They sat in silence for a long time, each distracted with their own thoughts. Finally, as the museum announced they were closing, he got up and Darcy looked at him.

He tilted his head towards the exit and she followed him to the car.

“How…how do you feel?” she asked, her voice hoarse from the misuse all day.

Bucky didn’t say anything for a second before he put his head in his hands and let out a breath.

“I’m not sure how I feel. I’m not sure what I want to feel. Am I even still alive? How am I in this form if I'm supposed to be dead? I’m not sure what to do next. What does this mean for me?” Bucky asked.

Darcy bit her lip and glanced out her window.

“I don’t have those answers, but I think we should go home. To New York. Thor is the God of Thunder. He’s my best friend’s boyfriend. My best friend researches science for a living, maybe she knows something about this phenomenon as well. Or they can tell us who we can contact to know something. I’m sure there’s got to more information somewhere. At least if we can figure it out, we’ll know if your body is all wrinkled or if it’s...still missing.” Darcy joked, hoping Bucky wouldn’t be offended.

“Yeah, you mention him a lot. As if it’s not a big deal. God of Thunder.” Bucky said.

“Well it’s not, if you consider that I can hear voices and I can see you in a wispy form.” Darcy contradicted.

“Well, at least I'm wispy, not wrinkled. if I’m wrinkled, at least I don’t look wrinkled in this form.” He said finally and Darcy scoffed.

“Maybe it’s all an illusion you made up in your head to make yourself feel better.” Darcy said as she grinned at him and pulled out of her spot.

“Take a nap. Or something. It’s going to be a while before we’re back in New York.” Darcy suggested.

She turned on the radio with and the car filled with quiet strains of pop music.

“Tell me about your best friend.” Bucky said eventually, sleep evading him.

“Jane? She’s great. She’s really amazing. She’s a scientist. She researches things and I help her. She’s a little clumsy and sometimes forgets to take care of herself when she gets really into her experiments, but she’s always there for you if you need her.” Darcy gushed.

“What about her boyfriend, God of Thunder?”

“He’s a hoot. A little strange at first, but you get used to him. He’s not from around here, obviously.” Darcy explained.

“Have you ever told them about you hearing voices?” Bucky asked.

“Jane knows. I’ve never blatantly told Thor, but I’m sure he suspects something. Not that I think he would care. They have some strange customs back in Asgard, so I doubt he'd be too shocked about me. It’s just a normal part of me to them, I guess. For all the science, Jane is, she’s really accepting of odd happenings. Even before she met Thor. She just thinks there’s a scientific reason behind it and it doesn’t matter if she doesn’t understand. Just because she doesn’t understand doesn’t mean it’s not real. I really appreciate her. She’s never thought I was a freak or dismissed me in the name of science, because there's no explanation for what I can hear. She's always there for me when I feel overwhelmed by the voices." 

“It sounded like Steve was always there too if you needed him. When the country needed a hero, he was there. I'm sure if I needed him, he was there too. I wish I remembered him.” Bucky said wistfully, watching the landscape whiz by. 

Darcy remained silent, not sure what she could say to make the situation better.

Bucky felt his eyelids droop his brain not distracted with all the new things flying by on their drive, but with thoughts of Captain America, and hazy images resurfacing from the dusty corners of his brain, pulling him into a restless sleep back to New York.

**********************************************

When Bucky woke, they were sitting in front of a modest house. He turned to the driver’s side to see Darcy typing furiously on her phone. He cleared his throat and sat up, blinking a few times.

“Oh, good! You’re up. We can go in now.” Darcy hummed, locking her phone and putting it in her purse. 

She exited the car and waited expectantly for Bucky to follow.

“How long have I been sleeping for? Why didn’t you wake me?” he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he stumbled through the car door.

“You needed your sleep. It was only a couple hours. Besides, so did Jane and Thor. Need their sleep, I mean. It wasn’t boring anyway. The voices kept me company on the ride here. You know, you were right it’s fascinating the different kinds of voices that you come across in different parts of the country. You won’t believe the stories I’ve just heard.” Darcy shrugged and she rang the doorbell more times than was polite.

Bucky looked around the neighbourhood curiously, as the door swung open suddenly.

“DARCY! My sister friend!” a large man with blonde hair appeared in the doorway, tugging Darcy in a hug.

Bucky growled under his breath as he entered the home, keeping an eye on the man even though he knew the man meant no harm to Darcy. The incidents of the other night were still too fresh in his brain of someone harming Darcy.

“Hi, Thor. Good to see you again. You can put me down now. Human, needs air.” Darcy gasped out in breathlessly as she patted the man – Thor’s arm.

Thor beamed as he let Darcy down and ushered her inside.

“Come, my Jane has been waiting for you. She’s just a little occupied with her experiments right now.” Thor called over his shoulder as he walked further into his house.

Darcy grinned at Bucky and followed Thor down a hallway, leading to stairs to a basement.

“He’s the God of Thunder?” Bucky asked, a little surprised.

“Don’t let him fool you. He may seem like a big teddy bear, but if you cross him, there’ll be hell to pay. Literal thunder and lightning shit.” Darcy advised.

They walked down the stairs and Bucky found himself at a lab, in a basement. It was cramped, but larger than Bucky expected from the exterior of the house. There, in the center of the lab was a woman with brown hair and had safety goggles on, examining something under a microscope.

“Jane, my love, Darcy has arrived.” Thor boomed.

Jane waved her hand in acknowledgement but didn’t turn away from her experiment.

“Jane gets very invested in her experiments. She can’t see you until she’s completed it.” Darcy explained and removed her jacket and hung it over a chair.

“This is where I work. You get used to it after a while.” Darcy continued as she turned on the computer sitting on the desk.

Bucky leaned over Darcy and took in her desk space. It had very little customization which was surprising for someone like Darcy. There were formulas written everywhere and taped everywhere, but no pictures of her loved ones or anything that would indicate this was Darcy’s desk.

“What we do…isn’t exactly safe. The less of us we leave here, the better.” Darcy said suddenly, as if noticing his scrutiny.

“Who are you talking to, Lady Darcy?” Thor asked, coming over to her desk and looking around her.

“Right. How rude of me. I'm sure you might have noticed, but I hear voices. Voices with nobodies or physical presence. Well, recently a voice made it to a physical…ish presence. Bucky, this is my friend, Thor. Thor, this is my friend, Bucky. He needs our help.” Darcy said indicating to nothing but air next to her. Nonetheless, Thor nodded seriously.

“Ah, I see. You have gained the power of the vision.” Thor said.

“You can see me?” Bucky asked, staring intently at Thor.

“On Asgard, this is common amongst my people. We see what others cannot.” Thor spoke over Bucky, with no indication that he heard or saw him. 

“I guess not, then.” Bucky muttered.

“How come you can’t see or hear Bucky, then?” Darcy asked, leaning forward towards Thor.

“You must have a special connection, my lady. Even on Asgard, seeing the unseen is a great honour. You must have a bond or permission to see the others.” 

“Connection? What possible connection could we have? You’re 102 years old and I had no idea who you were or that you existed before this. Sure, I’ve heard voices before, but I’ve never actually seen anybody.” Darcy wondered.

“Lady Darcy, a connection doesn’t have to spawn from knowing someone in their prior life. It is the connection of the souls that matters most. If Sir Bucky didn’t feel just as drawn to you as you to him, you wouldn’t be able to see him at all.”

“Ew. Sir Bucky. Tell him to never call me that again.” Bucky grunted from the side.

Darcy paid him no mind as she grimaced.

“It’s true, Darce! Soul connections are very important.” Jane chirped, finally out of her experiment zone.

“You know, for someone who is so scientific and based on facts, you really accept these unproven theories as facts.” Darcy grouched.

“Lady Jane knows there are some things that are unexplained, but doesn’t make them any less true. I am the God of Thunder. I would know.” Thor said knowingly.

“Sir Bucky must feel a kindred spirit in you, Lady Darcy.”

“Again with the Sir Bucky. Drop the sir.” Bucky repeated, waving his arms in front of Darcy.

Darcy ignored him and blew out a sigh.

“So, what do we do now?” Darcy asked.

“Well, I think I might know someone who can help you and Sir Bucky.” Thor said, a mysterious smile appearing on his face.

“Stop with the Sir Bucky!” Bucky shouted from the background, ignored once more.

“Please, anything.” Darcy said, swatting away at seemingly air, but really was Bucky tapping furiously on her shoulder trying to get her attention.

“I think it’s time I introduce you, to my friend, Tony Stark.” 

“How come he doesn’t get a Sir??” Bucky asked as they all filed out of the basement with his hands thrown up in the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you for your kind reviews, let me know what you think & see you tomorrow!
> 
> Cheers!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say how much I appreciate all the kind comments you guys have been leaving! I don't want to respond to each of them and accidentally give something away, but it's so fun how you guys are reacting to the story and Bucky!! I can never wait to read your comments and it really gives me confidence in the direction I'm going with the story, so thank you!!!
> 
> Enough with the mush, on with the story!

They took Darcy’s rental car and with Thor with his long legs squished in the front, giving directions to Darcy. Bucky was sitting in the back seat with Jane, arms crossed and frowning. They arrived at an intimidating tower that was labelled ‘Stark’ impressively at the top. Thor directed Darcy to just park right in front of the doors and assured her that her car would be taken care of. 

The whole ride there, Bucky grumbled about being called ‘Sir’ and grumbled about being relegated to sit in the back. 

“Would you quit it. It’s cute. Sir Bucky.” Darcy finally teased as they stepped foot into the tower. All of a sudden, a sense of calm crept over her along with absolute silence. The voices did leave her alone sometimes, but they were always there in the back of her mind. They had never disappeared completely before. She looked around, confused and touched the back of her head.

Here, in the tower, she finally felt in her own mind again. Only with Bucky with her.

“Sir makes me sound so old. I’m not a Sir.” Bucky growled.

Bucky looked at her and realized she had stopped walking.

“What is it?” he asked, concerned.

“I can’t…the voices…they’re gone!” Darcy whispered, in awe.

“What? Can you still hear me? Hello?” Bucky looked scared.

“Not you. I can’t hear anybody but you!” Darcy exclaimed.

She took a step outside the building and was immediately bombarded by the voices. She quickly stepped back inside and was comforted when she still saw Bucky who was hovering nervously at the doorway.

“Anyway, you are old. You’re 102 –“ Darcy teased again, to put him back at ease. She stopped when she saw Bucky’s glare directed at her.

Underneath the glare, he looked relieved now that he knew she could still hear and see him. 

“Stop bringing up my age. It’s impolite.” Bucky said with his nose turned up in the air.

Thor and Jane lounged on one of the couches in the massive lobby, not concerned about the dawdling couple. There was no receptionist or desk in the lobby. Only couches and a large glass wall that hid the rest of the building from sight.

“I didn’t know you were friends with Tony Stark, Thor. You’ve been holding out on us.” Darcy said and joined them on the couch.

“Tony has been an acquaintance. We were brought together under less than desirable circumstances. He turned friend when he showed his warrior heart and proved himself a true ally of Asgard.” Thor said.

“Now, now. Let’s not give them that impression of me, Lightning Strike. I’m still a billionaire philanthropist playboy.” A voice from the glass wall came through and the wall parted, revealing Tony Stark standing there.

“I wasn’t aware you posed naked, friend Tony. You must show me sometime. We can compare our bodies under our armour.” Thor said innocently.

Darcy and Jane giggled together and tried to contain their full blown laughter while Bucky looked embarrassed by the exchange.

“Even I know that’s not what Stark meant.” Bucky whispered to Darcy who was amused by Bucky’s discomfort.

“By playboy, he doesn’t mean the magazine, honey. He means he likes to date multiple women at once.” Jane managed to say through her giggles.

“Oh. Well, I know that to be untrue as well. Friend Tony loves Lady Pepper and would not date other women to hurt her.” Thor said, scratching his head, confused.

“That’s enough, I think, Thunder Buns. I don’t need you defaming me even more before we’ve gotten down to business.” Tony looked more embarrassed by the implication of loving Pepper than he was of being mistaken for posing naked.

Tony lead them all into his tower and they all entered into an elevator, in silence. The elevator was see-through and Tony pressed the button for the 10th floor and instantly the elevator shot upwards. Bucky glanced around him, the technology making him itch uncomfortably and Darcy could see his form shimmering more than usual, agitated.

The filed out of the elevator and entered a living space. It was more like a movie theatre than a living room. There was a movie screen on one of the walls and a mini bar that was behind the couches. Tony gestured for them to sit down on the couches while he busied himself at the bar. Thor, Jane and Darcy all sat down on a couch, with Darcy looking around in wonder. Bucky walked around the area, unwilling to be out of Darcy’s view, but wanting to explore.

“What can I get for you all. Wine, beer, whiskey, rum?” Tony rattled off as he poured himself a scotch as he looked to his guests.

“I would like some of that dark stuff that gives you energy.” Thor said, excited.

“I think you have more than enough energy to feed us for days. You get water.” Tony huffed as he grabbed a water bottle from the fridge.  
“And for yourselves, ladies?” 

“I’ll have some tea, if you have that, please.” Jane said.

“Water for me is good.” Darcy needed something to wet her suddenly dry mouth. She was in the presence of billionaire Tony Stark and she needed to tell him that she wasn’t insane, she could just see Bucky Barnes.

“What about me. How come I’m always left out.” Bucky complained as he sat beside Darcy, feeling her warmth reassuring as he continued to be ignored.

“You can’t drink anything anyway. Stop whining.” Darcy said, shushing him as if everybody else could hear him too.

Tony paused, staring at Darcy for a quick second before he sat down on a couch that was connected to the one that the group was sitting on.

“So, have you come here because one of you has lost your marbles?” Tony asked, tipping his drink in his mouth.

“Don’t say that about her. She’s not crazy.” Bucky immediately snapped, frustrated that nobody else could hear him.

“I haven’t lost my marbles. Just maybe gained a piece of history.” Darcy said calmly, moving her hand to rest over Bucky’s leg, settling him.

Tony raised an eyebrow, and gestured that she continue.

“I’m Darcy. Darcy Lewis. I helped Jane when Thor came crashing onto Earth…” Darcy began.

Tony waved her off.

“I know all about that story, Miss. Lewis. That is how I got to know Thor after all. Skip the boring parts and skip to the crazy part.”

“I’m not sure if you know the name James Buchanan Barnes. I know you know Captain America since your dad engineered him. He had a best friend during the…” Darcy continued and saw Tony stiffen at the name of Bucky.

“Second World War. I’m aware. I’m very involved in that history. My father wouldn’t let me forget his greatest creation of all time.” Tony said, almost bitterly.

Tony got up from his seat on the couch and downed his scotch in one go before pouring himself another glass.

“Barnes and Captain America both fell during the war. I don’t see the relevance of that with you talking to yourself.” Tony said, his eyes following Darcy’s as she glanced at Bucky.

“Well, you see…Bucky…he’s somehow…here.” Darcy started to explain.

“Here? Impossible. He died. 74 years ago.” Tony scoffed.

“He’s not here in a physical sense. More like a…spiritual sense.” Darcy said indicating to her left.

Tony stared at the empty space beside her, not seeing, not believing.

“You’ve been spending too much time with our Thunder buddy here.” Tony said, ignoring the offended look on Thor’s face.

“Friend Tony, Lady Darcy speaks the truth. Spirits are strong beings that exist.” Thor said.

“You’re telling me, that you can see it too?” Tony asked, waving his hand in Darcy’s general direction.

“He is not an it. He is a Sir Bucky. I can’t see him, no but I can sense his presence. Not in the way Lady Darcy can. Just that there’s an extra force with her.” Thor admitted.

“If Darcy says she can see him, then she can see him. She’s special and I believe her.” Jane said, daring Tony to disagree with her.

Tony scoffed again and took a sip from his drink, not speaking. They sat in silence, waiting for Tony to speak. When he didn’t Darcy interrupted the silence.

“What…” Darcy glanced over at Bucky, who was glaring at Tony.

“What happened to Steve Rogers?” Darcy asked quietly.

Tony stiffened, but didn’t say a word.

“I read articles that he had been rescued. And he was encased in ice. Is that true?” 

Tony’s eyes narrowed.

“Listen lady. I don’t have to tell you anything. You come in here and you say you can see Barnes who has been dead for 74 years, spew some information that everybody with half a brain and internet connection could have, trying to know about top secret information? I don’t think so.” Tony snarled as he slammed his glass down, clearly ready to make them leave.

“So, it’s true then.” Darcy said simply and silence overcame the group as they held their breath, waiting for Tony’s acknowledgement.

Thor was the only one who looked unfazed.

“Thor, you know, don’t you?” Darcy insisted, looking at him.

Thor glanced away, his lips tightly shut, looking at Tony. Tony stared back, his hands around his drink tightening, looking like he wanted to shatter the glass.

“If, even what you say is true. Barnes is here, beside you. Why would he choose you to show himself?” Tony asked, his voice rough.

“Let’s go, doll. Obviously this guy is a know-it-all and won’t give us any information we need anyway. Don’t waste your time.” Bucky said, ready to stand only hindered by Darcy’s hand pressing down on his knee.

“I don’t know. He doesn’t know. He doesn't choose to do anything. Don't you think he would've showed himself to you the minute you doubted me? We don’t know what’s going on or why this is happening. He just wants to know what happened to him. Then maybe he can move on. Maybe he's stuck here, prevented from moving on to the after life. Hasn’t he earned that?” Darcy said.

“All he’s earned is a one way trip to a nightmare.” Tony said darkly.

“What?” Darcy nervously asked as Bucky twitched beside her.

“Prove it. Prove to me that he’s there.” Tony requested.

“I…I don’t know how! I’ve been trying. He can’t touch anything or anyone. He’s just there. I can see him. I can see how his eyes are blue, his hair is brown and to his shoulders. I can see his leather jacket. I can see his metal arm…” Darcy rattled off, startled when Tony got in her face.

“What did you just say?” Tony’s eyes widened.

“I…he has brown hair? Blue eyes?” Darcy stammered while Bucky snarled and got up from Darcy’s grip and tried to get in Tony’s face, only to go straight through him, standing behind him now.

“Don’t be deliberately obtuse. His arm. What did you say about his arm?” Tony asked, his hands on her arms, shaking her. Bucky went back around and faced Tony, snarling as he tried to push him away from Darcy with no success.

“His arm. His arm is metal. His left arm.” Darcy said, her teeth clacking together from the force of Tony’s shakes.

“Get the fuck off of her.” Bucky roared, swinging said metal arm.

Tony’s face swung slightly to the left as he let go of Darcy quickly and rapidly stared at where the punch came from.

Everybody froze.

“You felt that. Oh my god, you felt that!” Darcy squealed as she gripped Bucky’s arm as tight as she could. 

Thor looked ready to intervene and Jane had her hand over her mouth, taking in the near violence on her friend.

“Sir, Capt—“ a male British voice came from above them and Bucky immediately went into a protective posture, looking around them for the voice.

“Lockdown the tower, Jarvis. Make sure he doesn’t move from where he is.” Tony barked out, breathing heavily as if he had just been involved in a full blown fight, not just punched in the face by air.

“Noted, Sir.” The voice, JARVIS said and all was silent once more except the heavy breathing of Tony and Bucky.

“J, can you see Bucky here in this room? Can you feel anything?” Tony asked the ceiling.

“I cannot see Mr. Barnes, sir. I can faintly detect another heat signature beside Ms. Lewis, but nothing that would definitively point out there was another person here.” JARVIS announced.

“Do you believe me now?” Darcy asked, shrugging her shoulders helplessly.

Tony stared at her.

“Well, I guess this changes the whole ball game.” Tony rubbed his jaw and suddenly grinned, his whole demeanour changing.

“This…this is marvellous.” Tony paced in front of them while Thor cautiously sat down.

“Stark, I will warn you not to get physical with Lady Darcy again. We might have fought the same battles, but I won’t be so forgiving next time.” Thor warned.

Tony ignored him and took another swing of his drink.

“Maybe the problem with this guy is he drinks too much. Let’s get outta here, doll.” Bucky said, urging Darcy to leave.

“Not marvellous, more like a nightmare, but at least we can communicate with him and Steve. Steve will be so thrilled.” Tony corrected himself, seemingly forgetting his audience.

“Steve? Stevie is here? Alive?” Bucky froze. He stopped trying to grab Darcy’s arm, got up and peered at Tony Stark’s face.

“Steve? You mean Steve Rogers? He is out of the ice then?” Darcy asked.

Tony stopped his mumbling as he looked at her.

“Of course he is. He’s made by the Starks. The Starks always survive.” Tony said dryly. 

“I’m sorry, but you are sounding way too Game of Thrones right now.” Darcy couldn’t help but add, dissolving some of the tension that was built up throughout the conversation.

She was only met with confused looks from Bucky and Thor. Jane looked like she wanted to laugh, but was trying hard not to in respect to the situation. Tony shot her a dirty look.

"Come on. Don't tell me nobody else here is up to date with pop culture. Bucky gets a pass, but Jane, you haven't introduced it to Thor yet? Tony...I see now that this is an inappropriate conversation. I will stop now." Darcy quietly trailed off, looking back at Tony sheepishly.

“You ask for my audience, you’ve insisted Bucky Barnes is here and I am giving you a chance to explain yourself to the Captain. Don’t waste my time. Jarvis, let Capsicle up here. Tell him we’ve found the soldier.” Tony ordered. 

Bucky almost collapsed back into the couch beside Darcy. She felt the tension building in Bucky and his form seemed to be electrified. Darcy worried this might be the thing that broke Bucky Barnes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed, leave me your thoughts, I can't wait to read them. I might not have time to post tomorrow, but I'll try my best. If not, new chapter on Sunday, I promise!!
> 
> I know I said I might post once a week, but I'm so excited about this story, I might continue the every day post or I'll switch it to every other day. 
> 
> Cheers!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! New chapter. I hope you guys like this one, Steve is finally in the picture! A little shorter today, but it's building up to the next one and we'll finally get some fluffy goodness, I promise!
> 
> Onward we go!

Darcy sat in a silence while Tony poured himself yet another glass of scotch. Darcy started to feel her own stress build as she worried about Bucky.

“Holy shit. We’re going to meet Captain America. Your best friend. He’s real. Of course he’s real. You’re real. I mean he’s here. You’re going to see him. Oh my goodness. This is too much. This can’t be happening.” Darcy babbled, unsure what to say.

Bucky had an unreadable look on his face as he watched the elevator doors. He wasn’t willing to believe he was going to see anybody coming through there, convinced it was a prank or some bad dream.

The elevator dinged, signalling the imminent opening of the door. Bucky turned away at the last minute to brace himself. He heard the doors open. He heard Darcy & Jane’s intake of breath and Thor’s loud greeting. He heard the noises, but didn’t register anything until he felt Darcy’s hand grip his. He finally looked up slowly and his eyes met a pair of striking blue eyes that jolted something in his chest and he could see flashbacks appearing from the deep recesses of his brain.

Him and Steve meeting girls. Him and Steve at a bar. Him and Steve in the army. Him and Steve…that night. Bucky shook his head and dismissed the memories from his head. Steve wasn’t looking at him. He was looking through him in confusion, at Darcy.

“Where is he. Jarvis said he was back. I thought he was…” Steve started and Bucky felt his voice seep through his bones like adrenaline he didn’t know he had.

“Why don’t you sit down, Cap.” Tony suggested dryly as sipped on his drink, almost in amusement. 

“Tony, if this is one of your jokes…” Steve started and Tony held up his hands in surrender.

“I could not make this up, even if I tried. Steve, meet Darcy. Darcy, meet Steve. Or you might know him as Captain America.” Tony lifted his cup in a mock cheers and Steve’s attention turned to Darcy.

“Hello, Miss Darcy.” Steve said, politely.

Darcy blushed and opened and shut her mouth a few times with nothing coming out. She could not believe her eyes when she saw him stepping out of the elevator. She couldn’t believe such a perfect specimen existed. Twice. Once in Bucky, once in Steve Rogers. She was born in the wrong era, she concluded. Pre-war men had to be beautiful. She cleared her throat, trying to gather herself and rid herself of those thoughts. She was ashamed to have those inappropriate thoughts running through her head in this moment. She cleared her throat.

“Go ahead. Tell him what you told me, lady.” Tony said.

“She is Lady Darcy, Tony. We do not address ladies that way.” Thor said, sternly.

Tony didn’t look repentant, just annoyed at the interruption.

“I…well…you see…Captain…sir…” Darcy stuttered.

“Now she gets stage fright.” Tony rolled his eyes.

“Bucky Barnes is here. In the shape of a spirit. Or some ghostly form. He’s here.” Tony said, not beating around the bush.

Steve’s brow furrowed as he glanced around the room.

“What?” Steve said, seeing nobody but Thor, Jane, Darcy and Tony in the room.

“It’s true. I’m not sure how it happened. I’m not sure why it happened to me. I could always hear people you see. Spirits. Not people. Maybe they were people. I mean they were people. In a past life or something. Doesn’t matter. I heard Bucky and he knew I could hear him. He stalked me and then we found out I could see him. Nobody else can. I don’t know why. I found him online and realized he’s a historical figure. I took him to the Smithsonian where your legacies were and he remembers you. Kind of. He mentions your name and some memories, but he can’t remember everything. We were hoping coming here would give us more clarity to what happened to him. What’s happening now and why it’s happening. It’s such an honour to meet you, truly.” Darcy rambled on before she squeezed her lips shut, embarrassed by her word vomit.

“Sorry. I’m not like this usually. I don’t get star struck. I’m not star struck. Not really. I think I’m more just in awe that you exist. This just proves that Bucky might also still exist. Or at least that he really did exist. You shouldn’t exist. You died. 74 years ago, with Bucky. Sorry. That’s insensitive. I mean this defies all science. I guess the ice helped preserve you. That would kind of make sense. But to have you come back out looking so perfect, is unheard of.” Darcy slapped her hand over her mouth and saw Steve looking at her with a funny look on his face.

“Thor defies all science. And he’s the strangest thing that’s happened.” Jane said thoughtfully and Thor looked delighted that she thought he was the strangest thing that happened to her.

“It is an honour, my Jane to be so strange.” 

Tony mimed vomiting at them and rolled his eyes. 

“Wow, doll. The way you’re gushing over him makes me a little jealous.” Bucky drawled from beside her and Darcy shoved him slightly, seeing Steve’s eyes widen at her shoving air.

“Shut up. I’m not gushing. It’s just fascinating. Purely scientific. Or spiritific. Whatever this is.” Darcy muttered at him, forgetting her audience.

“You said he was ‘looking so perfect’. That’s gushing. There’s nothing scientific about that.” Bucky countered.

“I mean he’s not wrinkled or mushy or anything. He’s surprisingly well kept for being technically in his hundreds. Not that he’s not perfect. Not that you’re not perfect. Captain. Sir.” Darcy hurried to say.

“You’re talking to him.” Steve said, haltingly, ignoring her compliments.

Suddenly, Thor and Jane got up from off the couch and joined Tony and they spoke in hushed whispers, allowing some sort of privacy for Steve and Bucky.

Darcy felt sympathy for the pang of longing she heard in his voice.

“Yes. He’s beside me. Now he’s making quips about how you were always the better looking one in the past. And the girls would flock to you.” Darcy said, gently.

“I don’t…understand.” Steve looked to Tony who stopped talking to Thor and was staring at them with interest.

“I don’t either, Capsicle. But, you gotta admit, this isn't the strangest thing that has happened.” Tony said with a shrug.

“How do we know this is real.” Steve threw an apologetic look at Darcy.

“No offense taken, sir. I know I sound crazy. I feel crazy.” Darcy said.

“Please, call me Steve. Sir makes me feel old.” 

"The punk still has some manners." Bucky said approvingly.

“Steve. Sir. Steve. Yes. Okay.” Darcy said, clearing her throat.

“So when he says it, you call him Steve. Why can’t you tell Thor that?” Bucky complained.

“Shush.” Darcy whispered, looking embarrassed.

Bucky still avoided looking at Steve, afraid of the memories that might suddenly all appear before his eyes. As it was, Steve just being around him was stirring up old emotions, old voices that he didn’t quite know what to do with. 

“He punched Tony in the face.” Jane piped up from under Thor’s arm around her and looked cheerful at breaking the news.

Tony rubbed said jaw, irritated by the reminder.

“It was barely a punch. More like a slight shove to my face.” Tony argued.

“That could have been anything. It doesn’t have to mean, Buck.” Steve insisted, in that stage of denial Tony was in.

At his nickname, Bucky’s eyes snapped up to stare at Steve as he let the warmth of the name flood his senses. Suddenly, one conversation floated into his mind, an important one that Bucky could never forget.

“Tell him. Tell him that I’m with him ‘til the end of the line, punk.” Bucky whispered to Darcy.

Darcy looked at Bucky, alarmed to see that his eyes were sparkling suspiciously.

“Bucky says he’s with you. ‘til the end of the line. Punk. Sir. Sir Punk. Just punk.” Darcy stumbled over her words, but Steve jolted, shocked and his face immediately crumpled from hearing the words even after Darcy’s butchering of the sentence.

He seemed to stare directly at where Bucky was, his hands reaching out.

“Bucky.” Steve reached out and Darcy took his hand and guided it to where Bucky was.

“Here. He’s here.” Darcy whispered.

The entire room seemed to hold its breath as Steve grazed Bucky’s cheek and Darcy saw tears fall onto his face.

“Can you see him?” Darcy asked in a hushed whisper. Bucky tensed up.

Steve paused and shook his head blankly, confused.

“I…I can’t.” Bucky seemed to deflate, but still, encouraged by Steve’s willingness to believe.

“It’s been awhile, punk.” Bucky’s own hand reached to touch Steve’s hand and face, angry when they just went straight through.

“He’s reaching out too, Steve. He misses you. He keeps calling you punk.” Darcy relayed, hating to ruin the silence.

“I…I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I wish I could have saved you.” Steve stuttered, his hands falling to his sides, uselessly.

“So, I’m really dead then.” Bucky chuckled with no humour.

“So, he’s really dead then?” Darcy asked, with a tremor in her voice.

“Not quite.” Tony piped up.

“Hate to spoil this moment, but let’s all go take a field trip, shall we?” Tony opened the elevator doors and gestured for all of them to follow.

They all followed Tony obediently with Bucky trailing in last, standing next to Steve, staring at him with the same reverence as he did at the museum. 

“J, take us to James Buchanan Barnes’ floor.” Tony said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, what's on Bucky's floor? That's for the next chapter for us to find out. Leave me some love and stay tuned! I won't leave you guys hanging for too long. :)
> 
> Cheers!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I am back! I hope everybody had a great weekend and you're ready for a new chapter! It is so rewarding for me when I read your comments about how much you're enjoying the story and you're looking forward to more. Thank you all for leaving kudos and comments!!! :)
> 
> Onward!

“If you can speak to your elevator, Friend Tony, why did you press buttons before?” Thor asked, breaking the silence the group had fallen into. 

“I didn’t know who you were bringing into my tower. J knows not to reveal himself unless the guests have been cleared.” Tony said as the elevator slowed down.

Their conversation ended as the elevator doors opened. The group arrived at a floor where there was no décor. It was like a hospital. White walls, with an eerie silence, clearly not lived in.

They went down a long hallway, all the doors were closed on this floor. They reached the end of the hallway that had a palm reader door. 

“Not that I think you could more shocked than you already have been.” Tony paused at the door and looked at Darcy.

“But, I would advise that you brace yourselves.” Tony placed his palm on the palm pad and the door slowly slid open.

Instantly, a cold whoosh of air escaped from the room and Darcy shivered. Jane, always enthralled by science, dragged Thor through the door quickly, following Tony into the room. Steve followed them next, with his arms behind his back.

Darcy slowly walked through the door, lagging behind the others, checking in on Bucky who was stiff beside her. She hesitated at the doorway, unwilling to look inside without Bucky’s blessing.

“I’m fine, doll.” Bucky answered her unasked question.

He grabbed her hand, but his eyes were trained on the back of Steve’s head.

They walked through the door together and Darcy couldn’t contain the gasp that left her as she squeezed Bucky’s hand, needing support.

There, in the middle of the room sat very large egg like contraption with a door. Looking closer, Darcy could clearly see that James Buchanan Barnes’ body laid there, obviously frozen. He looked just as he did in his apparition, not a day older than when he supposedly died.

“How…?” Darcy asked breathlessly, looking to Tony for an explanation

“Same way the Captain was frozen.” Jane looked like she couldn’t contain herself and wanted to run towards the capsule.

“Very good, Ms. Foster.” Tony praised as he gestured for Jane to approach the capsule.

“Our friend Barnes here has been through some, shall we say, harrowing experiences since his time in the war.” Tony said.

Steve stood in the back corner of the room, stoically, staring at Bucky’s body.

“He was picked up by an agency called HYDRA. Perhaps you’ve heard of them. They’re an evil group, intent on creating mass destruction and the reason for the wars we’ve had etcetera, etcetera. Cap here, was rescued by us just in time.” Tony took a breath.

“Barnes wasn’t so lucky and was brain washed repeatedly. To the point of almost no return.” Tony glanced over at Steve before resting his hand on the chamber.

“We are the Avengers initiative. Your friend, Thunder Bunny is part of it, with myself, Cap and a few others. We keep it all under wraps. We fight the evil while saving those who were under their influence. That’s how we found Barnes. Steve had searched long and hard for his friend after catching a glimpse of him in battle one time and never gave up. He found him. In worse condition than he ever imagined. He brought him here, in hopes of reversing whatever it was that HYDRA has done to him. We don’t know much about what Barnes did during his time with HYDRA. We have our theories, but none of them are pretty.” Tony’s voice took on a hard edge, almost glaring at Bucky’s body.

“We couldn’t undo it, Buck.” Steve’s voice interrupted Tony’s. He stared imploringly beside Darcy, convinced that he could make out the shape of Bucky.

Bucky squeezed his eyes shut as the memories assaulted him of all the people he injured, injuring Steve and the others. One particular memory stood out. He could recognize their faces. The Starks. Driving. In the dark. Murdered. Bucky shuddered, knowing it was him who ended all those innocent people’s lives. No wonder Stark seemed to treat him with such disdain.

“It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t know.” Darcy rubbed his arm, trying to reassure him.

“She’s right. You weren’t in the right state of mind. When I brought you in, you were chaotic. Wanda said your thoughts were explosive. Uncontainable. You were trying to fight against their programming, Buck. You were trying so hard. To the point of injuring yourself to prevent more injuries to others.” Steve said, moving towards Darcy, talking to the space where Darcy was rubbing.

“Why is Stark even helping me.” Bucky asked in anguish.

“What? I don’t understand. Why wouldn’t he be helping you?” Darcy asked, at a loss.

“I killed his parents. Does he know that?” Bucky asked in a harsh whisper.

Darcy froze.

“He’s wrong. Whatever he’s saying.” Steve stressed.

“I…He’s not in his right mind right now. He’s too overwhelmed. He doesn’t know what he’s saying.” Darcy refused to relay the message.

“Ah, he must be seeing my parents, then? His memories have played him to that point? Shall we ask him whether he remembers their shocked faces? Did my father resent that he was being betrayed by his own invention? Maybe not directly by the Captain, but the very same serum which took him away from being a father?” Tony’s voice inched higher and higher with each question.

Bucky seemed to seep deeper and deeper into himself, ashamed by his past actions.

“He didn’t know what he was doing, okay? Steve said so himself. Bucky wasn’t in the right state of mind. He was being manipulated and tortured and god knows what else.” Darcy defended. 

“We thought the safest place for you was back in the cryo-freeze chamber. Where we could halt everything that was happening and use the time to find a solution. We’re still searching. Bruce and Tony are working on it. Everybody understands that you didn’t do anything on purpose. Especially Tony.” Steve interrupted Tony's sudden disdain toward Bucky.

Bucky and Darcy lifted their heads to look at Tony. Tony’s face was hard, but he didn’t disagree with Steve.

“My father asked for his own doom. Not that it didn’t take me a long time to forgive your frostbitten body. Not that I've fully forgiven you. I wanted to let you rot and decompose for what you did to my mother. What you did to me. My mother was an innocent in all of this. You took her for no reason. I'm only helping you because you eliminated my father, and it's for the good of the team.” Tony’s voice was venomous. 

“Tony.” Steve snapped.

“What, I’m not allowed to be angry with him? Now that he's here in some form, I can't confront him?” Tony sneered back.

“Now’s not the time for that.” Steve said.

“Stop it, all of you.” Thor interrupted. 

“This is very shocking to Lady Darcy and Sir Bucky. We should allow them time to digest before we jump to any conclusions. Tony, we came to you hoping we could find an explanation for Sir Bucky being here in spirit form.” 

“I’m not sure we can explain what’s happening here right now. Maybe Bruce can.” Tony indicated up and down in the space beside Darcy, his voice gruff.

“Who’s Bruce?” Jane asked, interested in the possibility of another science buddy to do experiments with and wanting to dispel the awkward tension that had built up.

“Come on, we’ll go down to the lab where Bruce is and maybe he can explain what’s happening here.” Tony left the room, taking the remaining tension with him. 

Bucky and Steve lingered. Bucky, staring at himself in the chamber while Steve staring at the chamber almost longingly. Darcy halted at the door, watching the two best friends, so close, yet so incredibly far from communicating.

“I guess I don’t look too bad for 102 years old.” Bucky joked staring at his face.

“Could probably do without the metal arm though.” Bucky reached out his hand to touch the glass between him and his body.

“It’s unfair how good you look for being an old man.” Darcy mused, blushing when Steve turned to her.

“Not you. Him. Bucky. You as well, of course.” Darcy hastened to say, relaxing only when Steve barked out a laugh.

“The serum really helped me out. Bucky was always the handsome one.” Steve said and a light blush powdered his cheeks as he turned to fully face Darcy. 

“Hah, Stevie used to get all the girls with his cute innocent face and all the girls wanted to protect him and flitted over to him. They only came to me because they felt bad that I was being left out. Then when the serum kicked in, it was game over for me.” Bucky laughed, turning his gaze to Steve’s profile.

“Bucky disagrees with your statement. I disagree with both of you. I think you’re both equally charming and handsome.” Darcy said, laughing as well.

“You’re not too bad yourself, sweetheart.” Steve said, his voice pitched an octave lower, giving Darcy tingles.

“I second that as well. The first thing Stevie and I’ve agreed on so far.” Bucky

Darcy blushed furiously as she waved away their compliments and turned towards the elevator.

“Come on. I don’t know where the rest of them have gone to, but I would like to meet this Bruce to figure out why I have an old man haunting me.” Darcy spluttered, face red as a tomato.

Steve and Bucky laughed in unison, creating an ache in Darcy’s chest as she tried to imagine how they were as young boys taking on the world together.

“You picked a good one, Buck.” She missed Steve murmur into the air, as she hurriedly made her way to the elevator.

“Don’t I know it, pal.” Bucky whispered back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, as many of you guessed, Bucky's physical body is in a cryo-freeze chamber. I hope you guys enjoyed, more to come soon!!
> 
> Cheers!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The timelines are a little bit wonky, I've taken creative liberties here where this is just after Ultron and Wanda exists, but Civil War never happens. Tony just knows that his parents were murdered by Bucky. Hope that helps with the timeline a little bit.
> 
> Onto the story!

Tony had already left with Thor and Jane when Steve and Bucky made it to the elevator.

“Jarvis, please take us to Bruce’s lab.” Steve asked politely.

The elevator immediately shot into action and before long they had arrived at one of the bottom floors.

Thor and Jane were already gathered in front of a man with glasses and wild hair listening with great attention.

“Ah, there you all are. We thought you guys got lost.” Jane waved Darcy over to where she was inspecting a scepter in a glass case.

“Yeah, lost in each other’s eyes.” Tony nudged Steve not to conspicuously, all previous anger seemed to have disappeared as Thor’s deep chuckle filled the room.

Darcy and Steve blushed while Bucky rolled his eyes.

“Hi, I’m Bruce Banner. I’ve been working with Tony and Steve the past few months to find a cure to reverse Bucky’s brainwashing.” Bruce introduced himself and shook Darcy’s hand.

“Hi. I’m hoping you can provide some sort of explanation here?” Darcy asked pointing to the area where Bucky had walked over to.”

Bruce looked at the empty space a little uneasily as he pushed his glasses up his nose.

“Well, from preliminary deductions, this might be Bucky’s way of coping with the trauma. His body is frozen, but his mind isn’t. It’s still active in some ways and it’s trying to make sense of everything that’s happened. Everything he’s done. Maybe to heal, his mind has pushed his damaged soul out of his physical form to create some other being to better cope. To almost create a separate entity to start over. I imagine it must be very confusing in his mind, a constant battle to fight against the HYDRA conditioning while trying to regain his memories. This way, he’s not as overwhelmed and almost encouraged to learn about his past at his own pace.” Bruce theorized.

“What do you think?” Darcy nudged Bucky with her elbow.

Bucky shrugged.

“How am I supposed to know. He’s the scientist. I guess it makes sense.” 

“Bucky thinks that makes sense. But what now? Are you close to finding a reversal of his brain washing or some way to free him?” Darcy asked.

“It’s hard to say. We’ve been toying with the idea of Wanda, sifting through Bucky’s head and trying to organize his memories and use her to undo the methods used on Bucky when he was under HYDRA’s control. We just don’t know what we’ll find in there and whether Bucky will react kindly to another person being in his head after what he’s experienced at HYDRA.” Bruce said slowly.

“Who’s Wanda?” Darcy asked, horrified to have the feeling of jealousy wrap around her even though she knew this person was helping Bucky.

“She’s another member of this little squad we have here.” Tony explained with his hands in his pockets.

“I see. So we’re still at a standstill and Bucky’s still trapped outside looking in.” Darcy sighed, guilty to feel relief that Wanda wasn't someone who knew Bucky or Steve from the past.

“Well, now that he’s here. In a different form, perhaps he could help us with the solution. If he has his memories, it would be much easier to introduce his history to himself. He can take that and help himself sift through the memories and unravel whatever’s up there. That way, when he’s defrosted, he won’t be as confused as he was when he first got here.” Jane suggested.

Bruce nodded slowly.

“That could work. That would be ideal if he’s aware that Wanda is sifting through his head and won’t take it as an attack. This way Steve can try to converse with Bucky to find out what’s going on there.” Bruce said while Thor puffed out his chest in pride that Jane was so smart.

“How do you know he’ll even remember this whole thing?” Darcy asked.

“We don’t. Not until it actually happens anyway. But, if this is Bucky’s mind pushing him out, this could mean his body is trying to heal itself and deal with his mind from an outside perspective. The body can do many wondrous things, Ms. Lewis. If only we let it.” Bruce said wisely and was swept up in conversation by Jane who was eager to understand the experiments being run in the lab.

“Well, I guess this is your stop, then…” Darcy quietly said to Bucky.

Bucky looked horrified before shaking his head.

“No way. Wherever you go, I go.” Bucky said vehemently.

“I’ve overstayed my welcome already. You’re around people who know you now. They care about you and they’re actively trying to bring you back. I don’t need to be here.” Darcy reasoned.

“On the contrary, Ms. Lewis. You’re the only one who can see Bucky and hear him. Without you, we really can’t do anything. We wouldn’t even know where to look.” Steve corrected her, having heard their conversation.

“As always, the punk is right. Without you, we can’t even communicate.” Bucky nodded enthusiastically. 

"Well, Bruce said there's a Wanda who can read your thoughts. Surely she'll be able to interpret for you." Darcy said, worried that if she stayed for too long, she wouldn't be able to stop her growing feelings.

"We don't know the extent of what Wanda can do. At least stay another night. Until we can get a better understanding of how to help Bucky." Steve suggested.

“I have a feeling when you two got together to woo a girl, she didn’t stand a chance.” Darcy laughed.

“You’re always welcome to stay, Ms. Lewis. I have plenty of room here.” Tony said, joining them.

Darcy studied Tony carefully. She was getting so many mixed feelings from him. She didn't forget how he got physical with her just a while ago and how he was so angry with Bucky. But, looking at him now, he was nothing but genuine and didn't seem to have any malice. She got the feeling that Tony had a lot of unresolved anger, but at his core, he was still willing to provide the help his teammates needed. Darcy hoped with Bucky's recovery, it would address the unresolved anger and guilt on both parties.

“Please, call me Darcy. Ms. Lewis makes me feel old. I’m not even 30 yet. I don’t want to hear another Ms. Lewis.” Darcy retorted and she considered Tony’s offer.

“Now you know how I feel being called sir.” Bucky grumbled beside her while pleading with her with puppy dog eyes.

“I still have to work for Jane…” Darcy began, catching Jane's eye.

“Don’t worry about me, Darcy! This is way more exciting than our research on dead plant life. Anyway, I have Thor here to help me. If anything, I would love to be helping on this project as well. And that scepter over there, Dr. Banner…” Jane chirped from afar and quickly engaged Bruce in conversation again while Steve, Tony and Bucky looked at Darcy expectantly.

“Oh, alright. I’ll stick around. The sooner we can get Bucky better, the sooner he can stop moping around me.” Darcy finally agreed and Bucky whooped, wrapping his arms around her.

Darcy laughed and patted him on the back with Tony looking on with a weird look and Steve just looking wistful.

“It is a little weird watching you pat…air.” Tony reached out to have his hand go through Bucky.

“He’s a really touchy guy. He likes to touch a lot. He says I’m the only one that he can touch firmly enough to not go through them.” Darcy explained.

“Why can’t I hear the other voices?” Darcy finally asked in the lull of conversation.

“The tower is hidden from everybody else. Even spirits. We deal with some strange things on a daily basis. I’ve designed protective barriers to ensure that nothing else comes in without special permission and access. Not even ghosts or spirits. Nothing comes in, so nothing should be speaking to you.” Tony explained.

“That is impressive. I might need that at my apartment when this is all over. It’s blissful. It feels like a soundproof room. It’s all muted. Except for Bucky. I guess the barrier let Bucky in.” Darcy admitted.

“That’s very true and interesting. I’m going to go search the databases to see if anything like this has happened before.” Tony rushed off, leaving Steve alone with them again.

“I would really like it if we could just chat. If you don’t mind being an interpreter between me and Bucky?” Steve asked tentatively.

“Of course not! I would like that.” Darcy rushed to say.

“I’ll take you to where you’ll be staying.” Steve said making his way back to the elevator.

“Can I stay on Bucky’s floor? I think he’d feel more comfortable if he’s near his physical body, knowing that he’s real.” Darcy requested.

“You don’t have to, doll.” Bucky said, but she shushed him.

“Are you sure? It’s a little barren there. We keep it empty as a precaution in case Bucky ever woke up so he’s not startled by everything. It’s not the nicest accommodations.” Steve cautioned.

“I don’t mind. Trust me, compared to the place I live in now, even when it’s barren, it’ll be like a luxury.” Darcy said, nudging Bucky into the elevator.

The trio made their way back to Bucky’s floor and Steve introduced Darcy to a room, close to where Bucky’s body was resting. She noticed that the rest of the rooms also had palm print restrictions on the doors.

“We wanted to make sure Bucky wouldn’t accidentally get into a room without us knowing and getting a huge shock by the changes and injuring himself. We keep them all protected. Tony will program your handprint to these rooms. If this isn’t what you like, we can always go to a different one.” Steve opened the door and Darcy’s jaw dropped.

“Not like it?! You’re the crazy one! This is amazing. This room is bigger than my apartment!” Darcy squealed as she flitted from section to section of the ‘room’.

Her room, more like a loft had its very own fridge and kitchenette. There was a walk-in closet and the bed was stationed against one wall with a couch lining the other side of the wall with a TV facing the bed. The couch was a modest baby blue colour and the bathroom was conveniently located down a hallway to the right of the sofa.

“Stark sure does love his TV’s.” Bucky whistled when he saw the room.

“Glad you approve of it, then.” Steve smiled and settled in on the sofa.

Bucky sat down gingerly next to him, studying Steve’s features. As if sensing him, Steve turned to face Bucky’s direction. Darcy noticed and sat herself on her bed, watching them.

“He’s looking at you right now. Memorizing every feature. Remembering every feature.” Darcy shared quietly.

“I missed you, punk.” Bucky whispered.

Darcy took a deep breath. “He really missed you.” 

“I know. I missed him too. So much.” Steve looked back and forth between the space beside him and Darcy.

“I didn’t mean whatever I did to you. I didn’t know. I would never.” Bucky continued.

Darcy obediently parroted the words to Steve, avoiding inserting her own opinion to allow as close to an organic conversation as they could to take place.

“Of course you didn’t mean to. I know you didn’t. HYDRA had their grip in everybody whether we knew it or not. I’m just so sorry I couldn’t save you from them earlier.”

“How could you have known? I fought it all the time, Stevie. I would fight it and when I fought it, I would remember our memories together. Before the war. Before it all turned to shit. It was like my anchor. Then they would wash me, but I would always remember your smile. I would forget parts. But I always remembered us.” Bucky reached out to touch Steve’s face.

Darcy felt like she was intruding on a moment. It suddenly became very clear that Steve and Bucky were more than friends back when they were fighting together. 

“I’m glad we got you back, Buck. I would have never stopped looking. I won’t stop looking for a cure until you’re back again. I know we can do it.” Steve didn’t look at Darcy anymore. He looked solely in Bucky’s direction.

Darcy’s heart ached for their obvious desire to feel each other again and comfort each other.

“Darcy? Could you come here for a sec?” Bucky’s request startled Darcy.

Still, she obediently went to him on the couch, where Steve looked confused.

“Here, sit next to Stevie, in front of me.” Bucky instructed.

“Now, reach your hand out.” Bucky put his hand on top of Darcy’s and guided her hand to touch Steve’s face.

“I can feel his face.” Bucky breathed.

Steve stared straight into Darcy’s eyes, but Darcy knew he was really staring hard to find Bucky as Steve embraced Darcy in one swoop. Darcy wrapped her arms around Steve with Bucky’s arms around hers as they sat in the embrace. Darcy closed her eyes, relishing the warmth from Steve and Bucky as they wrapped around her. She felt wistful that they could still feel this strongly for each other after this long. She absently wondered if she would ever find somebody who would care for her the same way.

She felt Steve’s arms tighten around her, bringing her back to the moment. They sat there, wrapped in each other for ages. Darcy felt her eyelids droop as the past few days’ events caught up as she leaned more and more of her weight on Steve and he wrapped his arms tighter around her.

Soon, she succumbed to the sleep that was pulling at her and was oblivious to the light kiss Steve doted on her hair with Bucky mimicking her as she entered her dream land.

She also missed Bucky’s hushed whisper to Steve.

“She’s the one, Stevie.”

“I know, Buck. I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, leave me some comments & see you at the next update!
> 
> Cheers!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish there was a kudos button for your comments!! Your reactions are everything!! Onto the story!

The next morning, Darcy woke with a start to notice her pillow was moving in steady up and down movements. She realized her pillow was in the human form of Captain America. The couch was large, but not large enough to accommodate two fully grown humans on it, laying horizontal. Sometime during the night, she had landed on top of Steve and his arms were still around her, loosely resting on her back. Bucky was nowhere to be seen and Darcy quickly jumped away from Steve, waking him.

“I’m so sorry. I must have fallen asleep. I mean, obviously.” Darcy stammered her apologies as she stood up.

“I’m sorry as well. Time must have gotten away from me.” Steve gruffly said as he sat up slowly.

“I’m just going to go freshen up. I’m not sure where Bucky is, but I’m sure he’ll turn up. I just need to…use the bathroom.” Darcy rushed into the bathroom and closed the door quickly, leaning against it with her hand over her heart beating much faster than it was supposed to.

Somehow, she felt like she had betrayed Bucky. It was clear they had feelings for each other and was just using her as a conduit to communicate. She had no right to feel her heart beating faster when Steve got close or when Bucky brushed against her. She shook her head and pushed the thoughts out of her head and quickly got ready. She had to go find Bucky before he got the wrong idea.

When she left the bathroom, Steve was still there, making breakfast calmly. Darcy crept forward and sat at a bar chair located at the island in front of the stove.

“Good morning.” Darcy cleared her throat.

Steve turned around with a smile that made her stomach flutter.

“Morning.” 

“Have you found Bucky?” Darcy asked. She still couldn’t see him.

“Nah. I wouldn’t worry about it. He’s probably exploring the place, seeing where he can cause havoc.” Steve said offering her a plate of bacon and eggs.

“I’m sorry again. For last night. I don’t mean to get in the middle of you two…” Darcy pushed around her eggs on her plate, unable to look up to meet Steve’s eye.

There was a silence, long enough that Darcy finally looked up to see Steve looking at her with a smile.

“You don’t need to apologize. I should be thanking you. It’s been too long since I’ve been able to hold Bucky. It’s been almost torture having him here but not being able to touch him. I’m sure you’ve noticed we don’t have the traditional best friend relationship…” Steve trailed off.

“No, I don’t judge. It’s really sweet that you never gave up on each other. Especially in that time period where you guys grew up in.” Darcy hastily said.

“It was difficult, but we never hid it. Not deliberately anyway. I’m not sure where I would be without Bucky.” Steve mused as he started eating his breakfast.

Darcy stared for a bit longer than was polite before she also dug into her breakfast. They ate in a comfortable silence. Steve finished first and got up to do the dishes before Darcy rushed to stop him.

“Please. You cooked, I’ll clean.” She said, shooing him away.

“Alright, alright. I’ll go take a shower and we can go back to Banner’s lab to see what we can do for Bucky.” Steve raised his hands and gave Darcy a quick hug.

Darcy blushed and told her brain to stop enjoying it so much.

“Go. You don’t want Bucky to think you smell.” She teased to hide her sudden reaction and turned back to the dishes.

Steve chuckled and left the floor with the only sounds surrounding Darcy being the water for the dishes. When she finished, she went on a hunt for Bucky.

“Bucky? Hello. Where are you? Don’t make this Marco Polo. I’d have to change the game to Bucky Barnes. Which doesn’t have the same catchy sound.” Darcy talked to herself as she roamed from room to room.

She finally found Bucky at the cryo-freeze chamber where he was looking at himself.

“Can’t get over how good looking you are, eh?” Darcy teased as she quietly let herself in the room.

Bucky chuckled, shrugging but never looking away from himself.

“You know, this is a very unique experience. I mean your whole life is a unique experience. But this moment in particular.” Darcy said, her voice echoing around them.

Bucky looked at her with a questioning look.

“Majority of us in real life, will never see ourselves the way other people see us. We always see ourselves in a mirror and we obsess over our flaws. We don’t get to see what we actually look like. Only through a lens of bias. We definitely don’t get to see our bodies preserved to perfection.” Darcy said.

“What do you see when you look at me?” Bucky asked.

Darcy approached the capsule and looked at the physical form of Bucky.

“I see a brave soldier. One who has been through too much pain and loss. One who deserves a chance at the life he really wants. No matter what it is. I see someone who deserves nothing but the best.” Darcy said softly, resting her hand on the capsule.

“You’re just glad you don’t have to see us as wrinkly old men.” Bucky snickered, breaking the somber tone of the room.

“I didn’t think you were going to be wrinkly anyway. The minute I saw Steve, I already knew you were going to be preserved in perfection.” Darcy retorted retracting her hand from the capsule.

“Preserved in perfection, huh? I’ll never let you forget about that one.” Bucky teased.

“Where is Stevie? Tired of us already?” Bucky asked.

“He’s just changing. He wants to go see Doctor Banner to see what we can do in the reversal process.” Darcy said.

She shifted uncomfortably, knowing she had to address last night.

“Look, Bucky. I want to apologize. For last night. I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I know I’m just a middle man for you and Steve. I would never want to come between you. Literally.” Darcy explained.

“I know that, doll. You gave us something we haven’t been able to feel in a long time. Each other. Even if it was just for a split second. Don’t you go feeling guilty on me now. You did us both a huge favour.” Bucky reassured her and he put his arm around her.

“Sir and Ma’am. Captain Rogers is awaiting you in the lab with Doctor Banner.” Jarvis’ voice interrupted their conversation.

“Even the voice from above is calling me ‘sir’ now. But at least he’s also calling you ma’am.” Bucky snickered.

“Thanks, JARVIS. We’ll head over now.” Darcy said, ignoring the dig and walked towards the elevator.

“Not only do I appreciate that favour from last night, but I really appreciate everything you’re doing for me here. I know I’m a murderer. God knows I’ve done enough harm to Stark’s family.” Bucky added, his good mood vanishing. His expression was solemn. 

“Don’t say that. You’re not a murderer. You weren’t in control of yourself and I’m sure you tried to fight them. I just want you to be happy. I haven’t known you for that long, but learning about your history? Your history with Steve? I really mean it when I say you deserve nothing but happiness.” Darcy said firmly.

“I’m glad you see me in that light, doll. I’m almost tempted to keep you out of the sessions if I wasn’t so selfish. I never want you to know what I’ve done and how many people I’ve hurt. I don’t even deserve to come back in my physical form. I’m safer for everybody if I’m just here in this spirit form.” Bucky’s brow was furrowed.

“I know you’re a good man, Bucky. Steve knows it too. I could never judge you for something you were being programmed to do. Yes, you’ve done some horrible things, but you know why you’re different than those monsters at HYDRA? You feel remorse. You feel the guilt and you want to get better. You’re going to get better and you’re going to help Steve and his team take down HYDRA because that’s the kind of hero you are. Tony will come around, Bucky. I know he said some things last night, but he’s hurt and he’s still trying to come to terms with the fact that he can’t actually blame the person who pulled the trigger. It’s the people who were behind all of it. He knows that. If he doesn’t, then he’s not as smart as he thinks he is.” Darcy cupped Bucky’s face as best as she could to look him in the eyes.

“You listen to me, James Buchanan Barnes. I won’t let you go in there and think that you’re not worth the help or that you don’t deserve to live your life to the fullest. Steve misses you and I know you miss him. You do this for yourself, you set yourself back onto the right path and you can be a better man for him. A better man for yourself. You can redeem yourself. You are worth it; you hear me?” Darcy insisted and waited until Bucky nodded back.

“Good. Now that we have that set straight, let’s hustle. Bruce is waiting for us.” Darcy had never been the pep talk kind of person. For some reason, seeing Bucky so willing to give up on himself created this fire in Darcy to make sure he didn’t. She just wished these sessions would help him see that he wasn’t the evil master mind behind all of this and that he would finally release that guilt that was curled up in him, festering like a bad infection.

They reached Bruce’s lab and saw a woman in a red jacket standing with Steve and Bruce. A sudden movement caught Darcy’s eye and she noticed a man with silver curly hair was standing in the shadows, watching but not approaching.

Bruce nodded politely to Darcy and gestured for all of them to sit down in the lab chairs, with one reserved for Bucky.

“Alright. Let’s get to it, shall we?” Bruce said, pushing his glasses up.

“What exactly are we getting to?” Darcy asked, confused.

“We’re going to start the healing process, if that’s what you want to call it. We’re going to sift through what Bucky remembers, what he doesn’t remember and pick out the ones that were implanted by HYDRA and refresh him.” Bruce explained.

Darcy blinked at Bruce and then at the woman in the red jacket. The silver haired man had crept closer to them as Bruce spoke and was now right behind the woman in the red jacket.

“I’m sorry, who is this?” Darcy finally blurted out when nobody introduced them.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. My manners. This is Wanda. She’ll be helping us look into Bucky’s brain and take a look at the memories that have been hidden in Mr. Barnes’ brain because they’re so traumatizing.” Bruce said.

“That’s Pietro, Wanda’s twin brother. He will be joining us for every session.” Steve nodded at Pietro who now had his hands resting on his sister’s shoulders.

“Tell him he can call me Bucky.” Bucky told Darcy, uncomfortable that he kept on being referred to as ‘sir’ or Mr. He was just Bucky.

“Call him Bucky. Does this mean Wanda, you can see Bucky?” Darcy was curious of the extent of Wanda’s powers. While Darcy couldn’t control how she heard voices, it seemed that Wanda had perfect control over who she wanted to hear and what she could do.

“I cannot see him. I can experience his memories through him. His thoughts are hazy to me. They're chaotic and unstable. I can't pick out what he wants to communicate. It's like there's a barrier there. I can only see feel his memories.” Wanda had an accent when she spoke, and her hands and eyes glowed red when she explained what she felt from Bucky. 

Darcy saw her brother’s hands tighten on Wanda’s shoulders as she worked her power and only relaxed when she stopped.

“Where was she when nobody believed you yesterday?” Bucky griped, a little irritated that she could see everything he was thinking. Even see things that he wasn’t thinking consciously.

"Wanda can insert memories. She's able to manipulate memories and make it feel real. We think that's what happened to Bucky with HYDRA." Bruce said.

"It is hard to pull apart the memories that are combatting each other. I cannot see the true memories." Wanda's brow furrowed as she tried again and her brother glared at the empty space where Bucky was.

“Why does her brother have to be here anyway. It’s not like he can help me.” Bucky shifted uncomfortably.

“Can Pietro help us too?” Darcy asked, in a much more civilized way.

“Wanda gets very tired from using her powers. I am here to prevent her from over exhausting. I also do things very fast.” Pietro spoke up in the same accent as Wanda, and suddenly he was in front of Darcy, with a backpack in his hand that wasn’t anywhere in the room before.  
He dropped it in front of her.

“Here is your stuff. Stark brought it in last night from your place. It has your computer and some clothes. He said you can buy your underwear using his money.” Pietro said, stone faced and when Darcy blinked, he was behind Wanda again.

Darcy and Bucky both blinked at Pietro in shock. They didn’t even see him move. The only indication he actually moved was from the papers that were now scattered on the floor by the wind generated by his movement.

“I see you have many questions, Darcy. You are fascinating on your own. I can’t pinpoint where your power comes from.” Wanda spoke, her head tilted looking at Darcy, eyes red.

Darcy flinched. She hadn’t experienced someone digging through her head before and she was usually the one hearing voices. She was suddenly very aware that Bucky suffered through this every day at the hands of HYDRA and would have to continue to suffer through the manipulation now just to get him better.

“I apologize. I didn’t mean to overstep my bounds.” Wanda’s eyes faded from red and looked a little embarrassed.

“It’s fine. I’m just not used to it. Obviously. And I don’t have any powers. I just hear voices. I’m mostly normal.” Darcy quickly said.

“We can all catch up later. Now, let’s get to work on Bucky’s memories.” Bruce suggested.

“Will it hurt him?” Steve asked.

“Not physically. I’m sure as we approach the more sensitive topics and terrors he’s been subjected to by HYDRA, he might feel some emotional discomfort.” Bruce said.  
Darcy watched as Wanda’s eyes and hands glowed red as she worked her power to pull the memories from Bucky. She watched as Bucky felt the blatant intrusion and gritted his teeth against the visitor in his brain. 

They started from the very beginning of when Steve and Bucky met, and Darcy settled back in her chair, being Bucky’s voice and recounting his memories. Every so often, Steve would interrupt and correct the story that had been tampered with by HYDRA. Wanda would pull the hidden memories from Bucky’s mind, experience it and pinpoint the moments that felt altered. She forced Bucky to confront it and acknowledge that the hidden memory was real, the one he thought was his life was actually altered by HYDRA’s conditioning. Wanda also picked up on the completely fabricated events like Steve rejecting Bucky. Wanda pulled the memory into her own experience and removed it from Bucky's consciousness. This helped him begin to organize what was real, what was altered and forgot the completely fake memories. 

Darcy watched as Bucky got frustrated and visibly angry as he realized how many of his memories had been altered to showcase Captain America as the enemy. They had to stop every so often to give everybody a break. They finally stopped for the day with the promise of continuing the next morning as the twin excused themselves.

Bucky sat slumped over in his chair and Darcy ran her hand up and down his back in comfort. Bruce and Steve stood a little bit away as they went over the day’s progress to establish a timeline of Bucky’s memories.

“This is going to be a long and tedious process, Steve.” Darcy overheard Bruce whisper to Steve.

“I will never stop fighting for Bucky to come back. He’s worth every second we spend here.” Steve fiercely replied and Darcy felt her heart swell at the conviction in his voice.

She felt hope for Bucky’s recovery as long as Steve was still rooting for him, which didn’t seem to wane over the 74 years that he was without Bucky. She met Steve’s gaze and nodded slightly, knowing she was all in for Bucky’s recovery. No matter how long it took.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next update will probably come on Sunday as we continue to follow Bucky's progress. Let me know what you guys think of this chapter and leave me some love!!
> 
> Cheers! :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! As promised, here is the next chapter! This chapter gets a little hot and heavy - this is my first time writing a scene like this, sorry in advance if it's not up to par. Anyway, please be warned, there is sexual content in this chapter! I have signalled the start of sexy times with '***'. I have updated the tags to include the sexual content warning.
> 
> Happy reading!

The next few weeks were…interesting to say the least. They spent as much time as they could in Bruce’s lab, with Bucky recounting his memories. Any memories that were tampered with by HYDRA was set straight by Steve with Wanda’s help and occasionally Tony would sit in on the sessions, but he would never offer any input. It seemed like he was only there to gauge how far back they had gone and what the progress was in Bucky’s memories.

Wanda could see the memories play out in Bucky’s head, and would always be whisked away from the sessions by her brother and they would rarely be seen out of their floors if they didn’t need to be. 

Darcy had the honour of repeating the memories in Bucky’s words out loud so Steve could correct it or they could match it to the information they had from invading the HYDRA bases.

Inevitably, they reached the touchy subject of Tony’s parents. On the day that they landed on it, Tony surprisingly didn’t appear. Darcy was quietly reminded that these sessions were recorded and Tony probably wanted to hear about his parent’s admittedly graphic murder in private where he didn’t have to hide his feelings. 

That was an uncomfortable encounter between all of them. It wasn’t something Tony wasn’t aware of. It wasn’t like Tony didn’t want to forgive Bucky for those actions, but he was understandably having a difficult time getting over it. It didn’t help Bucky’s guilt as it just increased as he continued to remember all the horrible things he did for HYDRA.

But, the silver lining was after they got over the hump of the murder of the Starks, Tony seemed to come to grips with it and began to join them and visibly relaxed around Bucky. He would include try to include him in conversations (through Darcy), and that seemed to be that. 

However, even in light of the forgiveness Tony seemed to bless on Bucky, Darcy could sense the overwhelming grief and sadness that became synonymous with Bucky’s presence. When he wasn’t with them in the sessions, he would try to sulk away, only prevented by Darcy’s insistence to do things as a group.

No matter how much Steve and Darcy consoled him, he couldn’t get it out of his mind that even though he was controlled by HYDRA, he still did those actions. He still pulled the trigger on all those people. 

Throughout the weeks, Bucky’s apparition grew stronger and he almost seemed like a real person standing next to her. Of course, only she could see him, but his touches seemed to be more real too. Bruce thought this was because his mind was strengthening from the unwinding of his memories and he was slowly, but surely getting better. Bruce advised that after Bucky’s brain deemed him strong enough to return to his body, real therapy was required to work through Bucky’s guilt as long as he knew what was real and what was manipulated.

As they worked through the memories, Steve would come by Darcy’s rooms and using Darcy as a conduit, they would cuddle as Steve comforted Bucky over the more graphic memories he had. By association, Darcy had to live through those memories as well and she would never admit it, but being comforted by Steve was a special kind of hell because she knew she would come to miss it when her services were no longer needed.

They would “accidentally” fall asleep so often that they began their cuddle sessions on her bed so they wouldn’t wake up with cramped backs in the morning. Sometimes, Darcy would pretend to still be sleeping just to bask in the luxury of having Steve’s arms around her and Bucky’s phantom pressure wrapped around her, feeling warm and protected. She knew she had to snap out of it soon. But, in the meantime she couldn’t help but enjoy it just a bit too much. By the same token, she recognized that her feelings for both men were not strictly platonic. Nor was it normal to have feelings. For two men. At the same time.

It was odd. She would find herself admiring Steve’s form as they joined him for a workout. But she would also enjoy Bucky’s arm around her and she grew oddly fond of his metal arm. Even though she couldn’t actually touch him, she found herself attracted to both of them. These feelings only increased as they spent their nights innocently together.

Of course, waking up next to a man, even the most all American, honest man, one can expect to encounter the morning wood that all men experience. When that happened, Steve would turn red and roll out of bed and head back to his floor in a rush.

Darcy felt guilty even thinking about her short fantasies of offering Steve some help with the bulge while Bucky still slept beside her. She had to constantly remind herself that Bucky and Steve were destined for each other. The only part she got in their story was being their messenger while they found their way back to each other. Not only was she just a messenger, she had to remind herself that Steve’s morning problem had nothing to do with her. In any way. It was a natural thing that happened to all males and surely, he was more interested in Bucky giving him a helping hand than her. 

Even as she tried to talk herself out of the ridiculous fantasy she had conjured up for herself where both men were hers, she couldn’t help but fall more and more each day as they both showed immense interest in her. They weren’t just speaking through her, they were including her in their conversations. They asked her about her childhood, her life, her future. They shared stories of their past, out of the capacity of helping Bucky. They shared their rowdy behaviour and it felt like they were incorporating her in the memory even though she wasn’t part of any of them. They made her feel like she could have a shot with both of them. 

She had to constantly remind herself that she was the only female companion they had and the only way they had of communicating of each other. She was nothing special, meant nothing special and would never be anybody special.

But, she couldn’t deny that they took care of her, making sure she wanted nothing. Made sure she ate, made sure that Bucky’s memories weren’t too much for her to share and bear the burden of relaying the awful stories Bucky could articulate. 

When she cried for the injustice for Bucky, they held her and would immediately stop the day to take care of her even though Bucky was the one who was suffering the most. They cheered her up with her favourite ice cream (vanilla with chocolate covered almonds), they watched her favourite shows (even as they complained through it) and read her books to keep her mind off of the gruesome depictions of Bucky’s memories (they would take turns reading to her even as she fell asleep through it).

They made sure Tony helped them keep her existence under wraps, away from the public eye. She knew this was so when she went back to real life, nobody would bother her about knowing the two super soldiers. 

During their time in the tower, they got introduced to the rest of the team and everybody welcomed them with open arms. It seemed that once Tony was on board with the ghost of Bucky and with Wanda's confirmation, the team quickly got over Darcy talking into air and were careful to not walk through Bucky and gave her a wide berth when they were in the tower. Of course, Jane visited often, but Darcy could never bring herself to speak to Jane about her fantasies, afraid that voicing them would make it too real that she was falling hard for the two soldiers.

During movie nights where the whole team assembled to bond, she would be on a couch with Steve and Bucky, cuddling. Platonically, of course. Out of respect, the rest of the team never sat on the same couch as them, seeing as they would never know if they were sitting on Bucky accidentally. On those nights, Darcy could pretend she was on a date with both of them and this was just another normal night in her life, which was a dangerous game to play.

When she was cuddling with them, it almost felt like they could feel the same way as her. But that might have just been her wishful thinking. No way would some men from the 20’s ever entertain the idea of being in a polyamorous relationship even if same sex romance was their thing. 

Never mind them being okay with the relationship, was the rest of the world? These were the times where Darcy worried herself into knots and scolded herself for even thinking this was a problem she had to face. She was guilty of searching up polyamorous relationships when both men were occupied somewhere else and she knew the logistics of it. She just would never be brave enough to bring it up. For all her talk, she was still searching for her place in the world. She desperately wanted it to be with Steve and Bucky, but she knew it would never be possible.

She would catch Steve whispering into the air to himself sometimes, and she knew he was talking to Bucky. Even though he couldn’t hear Bucky’s responses, he still chattered away sweet nothings and Darcy’s heart would break just a little more each time for all of them. For them, of course being separated in this cruel way and for herself. For wishing and wanting way too much.

She knew the day of Bucky’s full physical recovery was coming. She could feel it every time they went back to Bruce’s lab. They were making great progress and Bucky was beginning to work his way through the bad memories not only was he was making new ones every day, but he was also learning to forgive himself. Just a little. While she was thrilled beyond belief for him, a selfish part of her wished this could go on just a little longer for her to have plenty of material to day dream about when she was on her own again alone in her cold apartment.

************

After a particularly difficult session, the three of them took a nap on Darcy’s bed. Steve wrapped around her like a koala and Bucky wrapped around her from her front – their typical sleeping positions. Darcy’s arm would rest on top of both their arms as she nuzzled sleepily into Steve’s neck. Darcy slowly roused and she stretched out, mindful not to wake her companions. She blinked a few times, noticing that neither of the men had woken and she turned slightly so her nose could burrow into Steve’s neck. She settled there comfortably for a second, relishing in Steve’s warmth and dug herself back out in favour of staring at Steve’s face.

She felt like she had to savour every moment and she wanted to memorize every feature Steve had before she was sent away. Satisfied with her inspection, she turned back around to face Bucky to do the same with his face. She let herself daydream about an improbable romance before she saw Bucky’s nose twitch. 

“What are you thinking so hard about over there, doll?” Bucky yawned as he turned to look at Darcy beside him on the bed.

“Nothing. I’m just really glad I met you.” Darcy whispered, accidentally dislodging Steve’s arm as she turned fully, waking him.

“Sorry.” 

“It’s alright. Be right back.” Steve yawned widely as he stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom.

“Me too, doll.” Bucky smiled.

“I’m not sure where I’d be without you.” Bucky continued, reaching his hand out to caress her cheek as he had done many times in the past few weeks.

Darcy blushed, trying hard not to let the words seep into her bones.

“Nor I.” The bed dipped as Steve joined them again, looking considerably less embarrassed as he put his arm around Darcy’s mid-section. His arm was long enough to reach Bucky’s side as they curled in on her on both sides.

Darcy hummed quietly, relaxing under their touch, feeling boneless. She could feel Bucky’s metal hand brushing the length of her arm and she felt Steve mimicking his motions, giving her goosebumps. They had never stayed awake and touched during these weeks. It was always after a session and they needed to decompress from the memories and they would often fall asleep. They were never awake enough to really enjoy it. 

From the soft caresses she was feeling, Darcy began to feel her body respond. In an entirely inappropriate way. She felt her nipples tingling and her muscles below contract as she tried to contain herself. It looked like it wasn’t only Steve today who felt more than friendship this morning.

Darcy loved every minute of the light touches, but hated herself every minute for enjoying it. The touches were growing bolder and lower as she squirmed around, half wanting to dislodge their hands, half wanting them to go lower.

She felt Bucky’s metal hand make the plunge first, dashing away from her hips and move closer to her lower regions, as she felt herself get wetter down there and she couldn’t help the movement of her hips as she tried to seek anything that would release the pressure she was feeling.

Her mouth was open with no sounds coming out, afraid of interrupting them, ruining the moment. Steve’s hand soon followed Bucky’s and his hand felt firmer than Bucky’s and she could almost taste her pleasure as she threw her head back onto Steve’s shoulder as she rotated her hips, encouraging their hands to dip lower.

Bucky’s metal hand ventured in first, over her pyjama pants as he rubbed her mound with his gentle ministrations, creating a gentle pressure that Darcy longed for. As great as it felt, it wasn’t enough. She mewled a little, just enough sound for Steve to reach his hand down and cup Bucky’s and continue to rub her over her pants.

Darcy panted as she ground her hips to match the pressure pushing in to get some sort of relief. She wanted to cry out, but bit her lip hard to prevent any noise from escaping her, not wanting to bring themselves back to reality.

“Are you close, doll?” Bucky’s voice broke the heavy breathing between them as she nodded frantically against Steve’s shoulder and her hand lowered to cup both Steve and Bucky’s to increase the pressure against herself.

“Please.” She moaned as they rubbed harder than before, but still keeping a gruellingly slow pace.

“We want to hear you, sweetheart.” Steve breathed from beside her. She felt his mouth on her neck as she arched into him.

“I…I can’t. Please.” Darcy panted, getting closer and closer to her finish.

“What do you want, doll.” Bucky, now lifted up slightly from the bed, took his right hand and cupped it slightly over Darcy's breast, still covered by her t-shirt and rubbed her nipple, causing her hips to buck up suddenly. 

All of their hands followed her movement as she cried out when she reached her climax.

“Please.” Darcy almost sobbed as she rode out her orgasm and she turned her head into Steve’s neck and her other hand wrapped around Bucky’s neck to pull her into her chest.

For a second, all she felt was bliss. She felt their hands still joined together, now curled into each other, on her stomach. She felt Steve press his mouth repeatedly on her neck, never quite kissing her, but just tasting her, feeling her. She felt Bucky as he panted into her heaving chest as she tried to catch her breath. She felt Steve’s arousal and knew if Bucky wasn’t an apparition, he would have his own arousal to deal with as well. For a second, there was peace in her brain, her insecurities quieting and allowing herself to bask in the moment.

The next second, Bucky’s reassuring weight disappeared and his form vanished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed that. Please let me know what you thought & if you think I need to add anything to the tags/up the warnings for others. Thank you all for your support! Next update to come Tuesday if life doesn't get in the way.
> 
> Cheers!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you guys for commenting and leaving kudos! I hope you enjoy this next chapter as shit hits the fan...

Darcy felt like cold water had been poured onto her. Any feelings of basking in her glow was gone in an instant as she groped around beside her.

“Bucky?” Darcy called, shooting up from her position, dislodging Steve’s hand from her.

“What. Where did he go?” Steve asked, looking around in confusion.

“I don’t know. Where is he?” Darcy asked, breathlessly, leaping off the bed and searching around her. She quickly pulled on a sweater and dashed around the apartment in a frenzy.

“Bucky?” Steve joined her in the search and they walked along Bucky’s floor into the main room.

They both went to where the cryo-freeze chamber where they couldn’t see Bucky at all. 

“Do you think it was too much? Maybe he glitched out?” Darcy asked, worried and the guilt came rushing in.

“I don’t know. I don’t know where he is. Jarvis, please get Tony and Bruce up here. Now. It’s an emergency.” Steve told the AI.

“Right away, sir. They are on their way up.” JARVIS announced and true to his word, the room’s doors burst open with Tony and Bruce looking alarmed.

“It’s Bucky. He’s disappeared. I don’t know what happened.” Darcy sobbed as she felt her eyes well up.

“I think he burnt out or glitched out or something. He just disappeared.” Darcy tried to explain.

“What do you mean he burnt out?” Tony asked, looking more confused than he did coming in.

“What were you guys doing?” Tony looked between Steve and Darcy suspiciously.

He took in their red cheeks and Darcy’s dishevelled appearance.

“Never mind. Don’t answer that.” Tony backtracked and Bruce coughed quietly beside him, pushing up his glasses nervously.

“It was my fault. It shouldn’t have happened. Now where did he go?” Darcy wailed and grabbed at her hair.

“Hey, it’s not your fault. Nobody could have known.” Steve rushed to her and tried to hug her, but Darcy evaded his grip.

“No, I shouldn’t have –“ Darcy began but was interrupted by Bruce shushing her.

“Look. Look at Bucky.” Bruce said in a hushed whisper.

They all turned to Bucky in the chamber and realized his eyes had snapped open. Looking a little wild and out of it.

“How is that possible. The chamber is supposed to freeze his physical body. He’s supposed to be forever asleep until we wake him up. Like Sleeping Beauty. Did you guys kiss? Don’t answer that.” Tony hissed.

“I don’t know how it happened. It’s obviously happening. We need to get him out.” Bruce hurried around to the machinery and started pressing a bunch of buttons. There was a hiss of air and smoke being let out before the chamber opened, the cold air rushing out creating goosebumps on Darcy’s arms.

Steve was frozen beside Darcy – she didn’t even know if he was breathing. Everybody was silent as they waited for the air to clear out of the chamber and the door to open.

When the smoke cleared, Bucky was standing upright, looking dazed and confused. Darcy gasped with her hands over her mouth, hardly believing her eyes. She started to move forward but another hand beside her reached out before she could even more. She watched as Steve reached out towards Bucky with a trembling hand.

“Buck?” Steve asked, hesitantly.

Bucky blinked a few times shaking his head as if ridding his head of a fog he had been in.

“Stevie.” Bucky whispered as he met Steve halfway and almost collapsed into Steve, his legs a little wobbly. 

Finally, after decades, the two super soldiers embraced tightly.

“Are you okay? Do you remember anything?” Steve asked as they held each other.

Darcy held her breath in anticipation as she hoped Bucky would remember everything in his past. Of course, she selfishly hoped he remembered her. Namely, what had just occurred 15 minutes ago and that they wouldn’t just dismiss her from their life.

“It’s in bits and pieces.” Bucky muttered, still tight in Steve’s arms.

Steve almost drooped, and Bucky pushed out of the embrace and rested his forehead against Steve’s.

“Doesn’t matter what I remember right now. One of the most important things is I remember you. Us.” Bucky whispered.

In what felt like slow-motion, Darcy watched as Bucky and Steve leaned closer and closer until their lips met and it was like her entire world collapsed around her. 

She moved further back until her back hit the wall as she recognized a few things all at once. Her job was over. They no longer needed her there, didn’t want her there, didn’t remember her being there. She was just a blip in their story now and she had served her purpose.

She ignored the looks of pity Bruce and Tony were giving her and she felt her way to the door. Like watching a car accident, she couldn’t look away even as her eyes welled up, making it impossible to see. When she found the door, she rushed through, never once looking back.

She quickly went back to her room, packed her essentials haphazardly, not really seeing anything through her tears. She felt her tears hitting her hand as she quickly wiped her eyes and dashed out. She hit the elevator button and felt a pang of disappointment as she realized nobody had followed her and they were still wrapped up in their reunion, never once thinking of her.

“Of course they wouldn’t think of you. Don’t be stupid. You were just there. A warm body to be used to communicate between the both of them. Stop thinking you were important.” Darcy whispered to herself as she begged the elevator to arrive faster.

The elevator finally arrived and she stepped in, frantically pressing the buttons to close the door. Heaving a sigh of relief when the doors closed with nobody barrelling through, she collapsed against the elevator wall, trying to get herself together.

“JARVIS?”

“Yes, ma’am.” 

“Please have a taxi or something ready for me. As soon as possible. Now.” Darcy said.

“As you wish, ma’am.” 

Darcy took deep breaths to control herself at least enough to get into a car, but as she exited the elevator to the lobby of the building, she was horrified to see that Wanda and Pietro were entering the building.

“Darcy? What is wrong?” Wanda asked, concerned.

Darcy waved her away, unable to speak, afraid that if she tried, she would start sobbing and never finish.

Wanda stared at her and suddenly a look of understanding came over her.

“I see. Barnes has regained his physical form.” Wanda said softly.

Darcy stifled a sob as she nodded trying to smile. “It’s good news. He’s fine. They’re going to be fine.” Darcy’s voice wobbled.

“I have to go.” Darcy whispered, unable to hold the charade that was clearly not fooling anybody.

“Stay safe, Darcy. We hope to see you again.” Wanda bowed her head as she let Darcy pass them.

“I doubt it. But thank you.” Darcy said, keeping her head down and exited Stark Tower.

The minute she exited the tower, the voices returned. Her stint at the tower meant there were no voices but Bucky’s. Now, in the real world again, away from the safety of the tower, she could hear all the voices calling to her, screaming at her. She covered her ears as a ragged sob left her heaving.

Thankfully, JARVIS was ever efficient and there was a taxi waiting for her already. Only when she was safely inside the vehicle, did she let a sob tear through her. She felt like her insides were being torn open and she couldn’t quite gasp for air with a migraine oncoming from the sudden influx of voices.

The taxi driver was startled and timidly asked, “Where to, ma’am?”

“I don’t know. Just drive. Just go.” Darcy sobbed.

She quickly gulped in some air as the taxi drove off, away from the tower. She didn’t know where to go. She didn’t want to go home where she would be isolated and alone. That would hurt more than anything, knowing that she was never going to be part to their lives and spending hers alone.

In a haze, she spat out the first address she thought of as the taxi driver stayed silent. Absently, she wondered if the taxi driver had gone through background checks or knew anything about what went on in the Stark Tower. She assumed he was because he didn’t ask her for cab fare as she exited the vehicle in a rush and he drove off into the night.

She finally arrived at her destination and knocked on the door frantically. Her control was slipping and she didn’t want to lose her shit in public, where neighbours could see her.

The door finally opened, revealing a concerned Jane behind it.

“Oh, honey.” Jane’s voice was the last straw as Darcy collapsed in her waiting arms.

Once inside, the voices subsided, leaving her in blissful silence other than her sobs.

“What has happened, Lady Darcy?” Thor’s voice appeared as they helped her to the guest room.

Jane crawled onto the bed with Darcy, holding her as she wept.

“She’s experiencing a heartbreak, Thor.” Jane whispered as she held onto her friend tightly, kissing the top of her head.

She felt Darcy heave as she tried to control her sobs.

“Let it out, honey. Don’t worry. Just let it all out.” Jane soothed.

Almost as if waiting for that permission, Darcy let out a loud wail which caused the God of Thunder to step back in shock.

“Have they hurt you, Lady Darcy? Shall I go avenge her?” Thor asked helplessly, looking to Jane for guidance.

“No, no avenging. Nothing. They did nothing. They deserve all the happiness.” Darcy managed to gasp out in between her tears.

“Please don’t tell them.” Darcy added before succumbing to her sobs.

Jane grimaced at Thor, continuing to rub Darcy’s back.

“I think you better go, Thor. Maybe make us some tea.” Jane suggested.

Thor ambled out, happy to have a task to help his heartbroken friend.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this, Janey. I was just supposed to be the freak who heard voices. But never helped them. I was supposed to remain strictly professional and just as the voice for him. I don’t know how it turned into something else.” Darcy cried out as she tried to hold herself together.

“I know, honey. Sometimes, we can’t help who we fall in love with.” Jane said, rocking them back and forth.

“I’m not in love with them.” Darcy denied weakly.

“I don’t deserve to be in love with them.” Darcy amended after a moment’s silence.

“Oh, Darce. Can’t you see? You did a selfless thing, helping them find each other again. If anybody deserves love, it’s you.” Jane argued even as Darcy shook her head.

“No, they were separated for so many years. I have no right to pretend like I have any claim to either of them. I shouldn’t have let it get any further than friendship. I’m sure they’ll forget about me in a heartbeat.” Darcy said, sniffling as she started to calm down.

“Darcy—“ Jane stopped when Darcy shook her head.

“Please. Can we just be silent for a second?” Darcy whispered as Thor reappeared with the tea.

“Of course, honey. Anything you want.” Jane agreed and shooed Thor away from the door.

Thor retreated back to the kitchen, unwilling to interrupt them. When he went back around to see if they needed anything, he saw them both fast asleep. Darcy in troubled sleep and Jane with her brow furrowed in concern for her friend. Sighing, Thor put a blanket over the two of them and retreated to his room.

He couldn’t imagine that Steve and Bucky would so cruelly throw Darcy out just because Bucky had regained his physical form. He had heard Darcy gushing about the two men during her time with them and whenever they went over for team bonding nights, he could see the way that at least Steve looked at her. It was a longing that he had only seen when he was rescuing Bucky. Thor was sure there was more to the story, but decided to let his sister in arms rest for the night before tackling these questions the next morning.

Unbeknownst to them, there was a dark car parked at the end of their street, watching their house, waiting for the right time to strike.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, what a doozy. Next chapter to come Friday/Saturday!
> 
> Please leave me some comments & can't wait to share more!!
> 
> Cheers!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I kind of messed up the rhythm and the cliffhanger I was going to end at, but this means that you get a chapter that was really meant to be two chapters!
> 
> Happy reading!

The next morning came with a headache for Darcy. All her crying had created a blind pressure in her head which she groaned in pain.

“You’re okay, Darce. Just take these meds and eat something and you’ll be fine in no time.” Jane’s voice soothed her from somewhere and Darcy obediently swallowed the pills given to her.

She drank her orange juice and ate a piece of toast and quietly retreated back under the covers and squeezed her eyes shut. She blocked out every noise she could and tried to get her mind to quiet. The voices became a buzz, but added onto her growing headache that she couldn't ignore. She tried valiantly while not leting her thoughts wander to Steve or Bucky and wonder what they were doing at this moment. Did they miss her? Did they try to look for her? Did they care at all? 

Darcy halted all her thoughts before she pushed her fists to her temples and forced herself to take deep breaths. She tried to clear her mind as she fell back into a fitful sleep.

In the kitchen, Thor and Jane were looking worriedly at the closed door and speaking in hushed tones.

“There’s no way Sir Bucky and Captain Rogers would leave our sister friend sobbing in heartache.” Thor argued, lowering his voice.

“I know. I’m sure there’s more to the story. Why don’t you give them a call at the tower while I watch Darcy?” Jane suggested.

“She’s very fragile right now. Until we find out some answers from the source, let’s not aggravate her further.” Jane warned Thor.

“Call? I will go directly to Stark tower to corner the fools who let her go. Await me, Lady Jane. I will come back with good news for Lady Darcy. I promise.” Thor planted a kiss on Jane’s lips and was already out the door before Jane could reciprocate. 

A few hours later, Darcy awoke feeling more refreshed than she did when she first woke up and her first thought was Steve and Bucky. She dispelled those thoughts and quickly used the restroom and changed her clothes in a pathetic attempt to feel better at least on the outside. She pulled out her phone and wilted seeing that there were no new messages from anybody. She took a deep breath and quickly dialed for a taxi to arrive at Jane's house.

“Hey sleepy head!” Jane cheerfully greeted her as Darcy shuffled into the kitchen.

Darcy produced a half smile before sitting down on a barstool at the island.

“Want anything to eat?” Jane asked, preparing to get anything from the fridge.

“No, I’m okay. Can I have some water?” Darcy asked, her throat scratchy from the sob fest the night before.

“Of course. But you need to eat, Darce.” Jane said as she handed over a bottle of water.

“I know. I’m just not hungry right now.” Darcy said quietly as she took a sip of her water and glanced around the kitchen.

“Where’s Thor?” Darcy asked.

“He’s out. And about. He’s doing his Godly things.” Jane waved her hands around in an attempt to distract Darcy from his absence.

Darcy took that as her cue to leave before Thor came back with news from the Stark tower. 

“I’m going to get out of your hair. Sorry about last night. Thanks for being there for me.” Darcy rose from her seat and went to grab her stuff.

“You don’t have to go. You can stay as long as you like. Please stay. You don't even have a car.” Jane implored from the kitchen.

“I know. I just need to go back to my apartment. Who knows what’s taken up residence there. Maybe the rats have made a home for themselves. I need to get back to real life. The sooner I can do it, the better I’ll feel. I called a taxi, don't worry about me.” Darcy swung her bag over her shoulder as she approached the door.

“Really. Thanks, again.” Darcy said as she opened the front door, relieved to find that the taxi was already there.

Jane let her go, knowing it was futile to argue. She stood against the door with a fierce expression.

“Anytime you need me, Darce. Just let me know. Any hour of the day. You let me know and we’ll come over there or you come over here. It’s not a problem.” Jane insisted.

Darcy smiled, the first real smile since the night before.

“I know. You’re the best friend that I have Janey. Give me a couple days. I’ll be back to finish the research we started. Science halts for nobody.” Darcy put on a brave face and waved to Jane as she made her way to the car.

Thankfully, her driver didn't try to engage her in any further conversation other than asking her for the location of her destination. Her drive back to her apartment was loud, the taxi driver blasting the radio at her request to overpower any thoughts she could be having in the silence. They arrived at her apartment complex and she stared up at her apartment, feeling her lower lip tremble. She took a deep breath and steeled herself when she was getting out of her car. She thanked the driver and gave him some cash while feeling a sense of dread sweep over her.

“Come on, Lewis. You’re made of tougher stuff. Get yourself together.” She said under her breath as she climbed the stairs to her floor. It was rare that the elevator in her complex worked and living on the tenth floor meant you never skipped leg day.

She groaned, her body not used to the physical exertion after being spoiled at the Stark Tower. As she got closer to her apartment, the voices got progressively louder. She couldn't make out what they were saying as she tried to ignore them, but they felt panicked, fuelling her unease. She ignored them in favour of focusing on the obvious difference between her apartment and the Stark Tower. Her apartment building smelled like cigarettes. Her neighbours didn’t care for the no smoking rule. There was no AI asking you where you wanted to be. No super sold-. No. She wasn't thinking about them anymore.

She swallowed down a sigh as her head ached from the sudden volume of the voices. They were all chattering and screaming like they were in pain. She straightened her back while unlocking her door, telling herself she'd take a nap before tackling cleaning her apartment.

She froze as she walked into her apartment. The voices suddenly all hushed, and Darcy's mind was blank. There was an addition to her apartment. Definitely not rats, but a close second and definitely an unwelcome visitor.

“Hello, Darcy Lewis. I’ve been waiting to meet you again.”

*********

Back at Stark Tower, Bucky and Steve could not get enough of each other. They barely let their lips separate to take a breath before smashing them together again. They had waited far too long to do this and they would be damned if they let anybody interrupt them.

Until someone interrupted them.

“Ahem. As nice as this show is. Please rein it in until we can determine that Barnes is in full capacity of himself.” Tony drawled from the wall he was lounging on.

“I’m fine. I can feel everything. Everything is so clear.” Bucky breathed, his hands never leaving Steve’s.

“Yes, that’s all fine and good, but let’s make sure that none of HYDRA’s influence made it past the ice, shall we?” Tony asked as Bruce approached him with a light shining into his eyes.

“Where’s Darcy?” Steve suddenly asked, looking around.

Both Tony and Bruce shifted uncomfortably as they exchanged glances. Bucky ducked away from Bruce’s hands and he too looked around.

“Doll?” Bucky asked, pushing his way through to the door, only to be met with Wanda and her brother.

“Nice to see you awake again, soldier.” Wanda nodded at him.

“Good to be back.” Bucky said, distractedly.

“You’re looking for Darcy?” Pietro asked taking in his glances.

“You saw her?” Steve asked, appearing beside Bucky.

The twins exchanged glances, not unlike the ones Tony and Bruce exchanged.

“Don’t you think it’s better to let her go, now that you’re back. It’d be cruel to lead her on…” Tony asked slowly.

“Lead her on? What are you talking about?” Bucky looked confused.

“You actually care for her.” Wanda realized as she looked into Bucky’s thoughts.

“Of course I care for her. We both do.” Bucky said, almost defensively.

“Did you ever tell her that?” Bruce asked mildly as he continued to try to check Bucky’s responsiveness.

Bucky swatted his hands away like an annoying fly.

“Of course we did. We showed her just before I came back.” Bucky said looking around him.

Steve’s face had gone pale as he took in Wanda’s look. Even Pietro was looking at the soldiers with such deep disappointment, even though he never indicated he enjoyed Darcy's presence. 

From that, Bucky slowly had the look of horror creep up as he took in the gravity of the miscommunication.

“I don’t think we explicitly told her we wanted her to stay after. We never got there. Heck, we barely got anywhere other than some cuddles.” Bucky said, a little frantic now.

“I don’t think she understood what was to happen to her or where she stood after you came back. Her thoughts were chaotic and cruel about herself as she left in a hurry. She was in a state of insecurity of her position with you both and she felt worthless and useless to the both of you after Bucky came awake.” Wanda explained as she prodded deeper into Bucky’s mind.

Bucky winced as he felt the intrusion, but held still as she sifted through the memories.

“We never meant for that to happen. She matters. We didn’t want to scare her off. She was just warming up to the idea of us…” Steve trailed off.

“She thought we would judge her desires. She wanted more, just thought she was intruding.” Wanda explained, a bit distracted, still trying to ensure Bucky was fine.

“We gotta go after her, punk. We can’t let her think those things for much longer.” Bucky said urgently.

Steve nodded in agreement, but Bruce held up his hands. Bucky rushed out the door and they made it to Darcy's rooms to grab some clothes, satisfied that Steve had joined him, belatedly noticing that the others had joined them as well.

“Please, I really need to do an assessment on you, Bucky. Wanda will need some time to make sure the brain washing done to you didn't have lasting effects and that our sessions has helped you decipher the memories you had. If we don't make sure your brain washing has been eliminated, you could be a liability and a danger to everybody. Including Darcy. We would never know when you could switch if we don't do this right.” Bruce explained and Bucky huffed an impatient sigh.

“Well get on with it.” He grumbled as Bruce began to ask Bucky a series of questions with Wanda on hand to filter through the thoughts and memories.

It felt wrong to sit on the couch where they had all cuddled for the first time without Darcy. Bucky frowned, eager to get out of the tower to find her.

Steve and Tony sat away from them, with Steve’s eye trained on Bucky as they did a check over him.

“Nobody will judge, you know.” Tony said softly and Steve started at the billionaire.

“I know that.” Steve said.

“She doesn’t though. She doesn’t know us well enough to know that we would never be judged. That we’re free to do as we wish here.” Steve said, frustrated that he didn’t get a chance to explain to Darcy their intentions.

“You can't blame her, I guess. She saw you guys as these stiff old fashioned guys. I bet she almost fell off her chair once she found out you guys were more than friends even back then. Well, once Barnes over there is cleared, you guys can go get your girl.” Tony jerked his head in Bucky’s direction and clapped a hand on Steve’s shoulder.

“It’ll all work out.” Tony felt the tension in Steve’s body ease slightly as Steve nodded his thanks.

By the time they were finished, it was nightfall and they were prevented from leaving the tower.

“Sleep on it, you guys. It’ll do nobody any good if you guys are barreling out there, and get kidnapped or taken hostage by HYDRA again. Get a night’s sleep and tomorrow you guys can explain to Darcy what you want to happen between you three.” Bruce advised.

Begrudgingly, the super soldiers agreed, but not without some grumbling.

“I’m perfectly fine to go out there and find Darcy. I don’t even have her phone number. What if she thinks the worst in us?” Bucky fretted.

“She won’t. We’ll explain ourselves to her. We’ll apologize a million times until she forgives us. We’ll get her back, pal.” Steve found himself soothing Bucky even as he doubted his own words.

The two of them collapsed together on the bed they had been sharing with Darcy, still smelling a hint of her shampoo to comfort themselves. Finally, after decades of waiting, they were able to actually wrap themselves around each other.

“This is everything I dreamed of. Even as I 'died'. Seeing you again. Holding you like this.” Steve whispered as if confessing a sin.

“I know. I’ve been dreaming about this too. Being held by you. Even when I was being brainwashed, I couldn’t rid myself of the feeling.” Bucky whispered back.

Still, they felt empty without the extra person in their bed, warming their sides.

“We’ll get her back, Buck. Just you wait.” Steve repeated, almost like a mantra.

Together, they fell into fitful sleep and was woken up suddenly the next morning by the God of Thunder’s booming voice echoing in their room.

“Sir Bucky. How wonderful to finally see you up and about.” Thor announced, oblivious to the groggy blinking of the two soldiers.

“Thanks, Thor. Just Bucky.” Bucky said rubbing his eyes and untangling himself from Steve.

“What brings you here, Thor.” Steve yawned and he followed Bucky out of bed.

“It is Lady Darcy.” Thor said, gravely.

Both Bucky and Steve snapped to attention.

“What is it. Is she alright?” Bucky asked, suddenly wide awake.

“She has been in distress all night. She has been weeping. Weeping much longer than any lady of her kind should be.” Thor reported, staring at the two men who suddenly looked distressed themselves.

“I knew we should have gone after her last night. It was a mistake not to.” Bucky growled as he prowled across the room.

“So, it is not your intention to discard her, then?” Thor asked thoughtfully.

“NO!” Both men shouted in unison.

“Is that what she thinks? Obviously that’s what she thinks if that’s what you’re asking. Come on Steve. Up, we gotta go.” Bucky said, rushing to get some clothes on.

“If we meant to be rid of her, we would have done it weeks ago. Steve could see me and hear me the whole time.” Bucky hurried to explain.

Thor looked surprised.

“Steve could see me the minute he heard that I was with him 'til the end of the line. We know each other well enough that even after decades of being apart we knew our signals. I wanted to make sure Darcy would say with us longer. He just never said anything, hoping that Darcy would stay with us. At least long enough for us to convince her to be ours.” Bucky continued, as he threw some clothes to Steve.

"Which of course, we failed at." Bucky growled.

“That is the most reassuring.” Thor said, suddenly cheerful again.

“I knew this would all be solved quickly. As I told my Lady Jane, there’s no way two honourable soldiers like yourselves would do that to Lady Darcy.”

“No, we would never. We could never.” Steve said firmly.

Together, the trio made it to the lobby when they found themselves locked in.

“JARVIS? Open the door.” Bucky commanded.

“I’m sorry, sir, sir and sir. Your presence is requested by Sir in the team living room. There’s been an alert sounded for the Avengers.” JARVIS did sound apologetic, and Bucky groaned in frustration.

“The longer we wait to explain things to Darcy, the more she’ll think we don’t want her. I'm not even an Avenger. I shouldn't need to go to this team meeting.” Bucky said, unwillingly being dragged along by Steve.

“You're with me. You've always been my team. The sooner we get briefed on the threat, the sooner we neutralize the threat, the sooner we can speak to Darcy.” Steve reasoned.

Bucky grumbled, but couldn't bring himself to abandon Steve and sat down next to him on a couch while the rest of the Avengers filed in.

“HYDRA has suddenly come back in full force. We have reports of them terrorizing civilians and claiming themselves to be part of the HYDRA, reborn.” Tony announced to the group.

Bucky’s cheat tightened and he clenched his teeth.

“There’s one main ringleader. Brock Rumlow. He seems to have been working for months now, recruiting others to join his cause and he’s suddenly decided now is the time to cause an uproar.” Tony continued.

A photo of Brock Rumlow appeared in front of them and Bucky felt a tickle of recognition in the back of his brain. He knew that he saw this man before, he just couldn’t place where.

“He looks familiar.” Bucky said, studying the photo.

“Maybe he was one of the people who brainwashed you.” Bruce suggested.

Bucky frowned. He didn’t look that familiar. He just looked like a face he had seen before.

“If we can get him, take him in, we can show his minions he’s been weakened and it’ll be easy to round up the rest of them.” Tony said.

“So, just find this guy, get rid of him and then we’ll be done.” Bucky said, ready to jump into action.

“Woah, there Buckaroo. You’re sitting this one out.” Tony said indicating for him to sit down. 

Bucky groaned and threw his hands up in frustration.

“You just woke up, Bucky. These are HYDRA henchmen. We don’t know if you’ll be influenced by them again, even accidentally. It’s better to be safe than sorry. We have more than enough people here to fight them.” Bruce said, apologetically.

Bucky groaned, understanding the logic, but hating it all the same.

“Can I go to Darcy, then?” he asked hopefully.

“Not until the threat has been neutralized. We don’t want to lead them to Darcy’s until we know what we’re exactly dealing with here.” Tony ordered.

Bucky groaned and watched as the team gave him a sympathetic pat on the back and left to prepare for battle. 

“It’ll be okay, Buck. We’ll take care of it and I’ll be back before you know it. Then we can go find Darcy, okay?” Steve said, giving Bucky a quick peck on the lips.

Bucky pouted, but nodded and watched Steve leave with the team.

“Jarvis?” Bucky said to nobody.

“Yes, sir?” JARVIS responded back.

“Wow, that is weird to talk to nobody there. No wonder Darcy refused to talk to me in public.” Bucky said.

“Can you pull up screens of where the team is at. If I can’t help on the field, I can at least watch them.” Bucky requested and JARVIS complied immediately, pulling up all vision he had on the Avengers.

So, Bucky could do nothing but wait until the team returned. He huffed and blew the hair out of his face before settling in his chair and watched the fight from afar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed - leave me some comments & love! New update to come next week - Tuesday/Wednesday!
> 
> Cheers!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to Darcy...

“Hello, Darcy Lewis. I’ve been waiting to meet you again.” The man from the alleyway at the club greeted Darcy in her apartment.

Darcy was tempted to close the door in his face and dash out of her apartment. As if reading her mind, the man shook his head and tsked.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. The minute you close the door and you’re not in here, your neighbours will experience a good rainfall of bullets.” The man threatened.

Darcy froze, unsure if he was bluffing. Unwilling to risk it, she slowly walked into her apartment, closer to the man.

“Now close the door.” He instructed.

Darcy did as he asked, cursing herself for failing to remain vigilant and carry her mace with her. She had gotten too comfortable in the safety of the tower with her two super soldiers. Not hers. Just the two super soldiers. Darcy shook her head to clear her head.

“Who are you?” Darcy asked.

“It doesn’t matter who I am. What matters is who you are, and who you’re with.” The man smiled. There was no humour in the smile. It was cold, calculated.

“Who I’m with?” 

“I know that you know some powerful people, Ms. Lewis.” The man sat down on her couch and gestured for her to sit on a chair that one of his henchmen pulled up for her. She sat down cautiously, never taking her eyes off of him.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Darcy’s head swung to the left as the henchmen who brought her the chair hit her.

Darcy’s eyes widened as she felt the pain coursing on her cheek. She looked back up to see the man smirking at her.

“I don’t like liars, Ms. Lewis. This would go so much easier, if you would just tell me the truth.” 

“How can I tell you the truth when I don’t know what you mean.” Darcy’s head swung the other way as she was hit again. Her ears began to ring and she started to tremble.

The man got up from her couch and sat right in front of her, on her coffee table.

“Now, I’m going to ask you again, nicely. If you don’t answer honestly, we’re going to have problems.” 

Darcy stared at him, defiantly.

“Where is the Winter Soldier?” the man asked, slowly enunciating each word.

Darcy looked at him with confusion.

“The Winter Soldier?” she asked, honestly confused.

The man lost his smile and he gripped her face viciously with his hand.

“Don’t play dumb, you stupid cow. The Winter Soldier. The one with the metal arm.” He snarled in her face.

She realized they were talking about Bucky. Her mouth snapped shut and she stared at the man, unwilling to speak.

“So, you’re willing to protect him, the killer. The murderer.” The man said.

“He’s not a killer.” The words flew from Darcy’s mouth before she could stop it.

“That’s what he wants you to think. Do you know how many people he’s killed, Ms. Lewis? He’s a menace to society. He must be contained. Do you want him going out there and murdering again?”

The man peered at her and seemed to assess something before barking out a cold laugh.

“It’s funny how you’re so hell bent on protecting the asset. HYDRA’s reach is long and far, Ms. Lewis. Haven’t you ever wondered why you could hear those who are not here? We have the answers you desire, if you just tell us where the Winter Soldier is.” He said, waiting for her to respond.

Darcy kept her mouth shut and stared back at the man. She blinked at him, unfazed while her thoughts ran a mile a minute at what he was implying. The back of her neck prickled with unease as she heard the voices get more urgent as she tried to concentrate on the man.

“If that’s the way it will be, fine. We’ll do this the hard way, then.” The man released her face, and signalled something to the henchman behind her. 

The last thing she saw was someone’s fists coming towards her, and then – darkness. 

******

When Darcy awoke again, she was now bound to a chair and a spotlight was on her. She swallowed a few times, her throat dry before she noticed the man from her apartment was sitting across from her, watching her. The voices in her head were diluted, almost muted like she couldn’t hear properly. She shook her head, trying to clear it, only succeeding in making her head throb.

“This. This is original.” Darcy said, pulling on the reserves of her sass.

The man didn’t say anything and Darcy groaned as her head throbbed.

“Evil villain lair, interrogating kidnapped hostage. Tied up to a chair, under a bright light. That’s like every single action movie, ever.” Darcy continued, as she tested the strength of the bonds. Not that she knew how to get out of the ropes. She just knew she couldn’t stop talking.

“So, we’re feeling chatty now, are we?” The man said, calmly.

“I’m always chatty.” Darcy retorted as she shifted uncomfortably on the chair.

"Then we can chat about your friend, the Winter Soldier." 

The man scooted forward until he was knee to knee with her, causing Darcy to stop breathing for a second. She took a closer look at the man and noticed his face was a little deformed. Nothing that would draw attention on the streets, but it looked like his face had melted partially from the way it was drooping. She blinked at him and he watched her silently.

“Gruesome, isn't it? This is the handiwork of HYDRA when you fail a mission. It teaches us how to strive to be better. To avoid the punishments from happening again. You experienced some of that yourself.” The man said in a low tone.

“It looks like you failed a lot of missions then.” Darcy quipped, ignoring his bait for her to ask him what he knew. She couldn't afford to divert her attention from escaping. It didn't matter what they knew. Darcy knew she had to protect Bucky. She flinched as the man moved suddenly, getting up from his chair, knocking her knees together.

“I need to thank you.” The man said idly as he watched her from the side. 

She twisted to look at him.

“Oh, we’re doing the whole villain is going to speak to me thing, now?” she said, moving her wrists back and forth to try to get some way out.

“Thanks to you, I found out that our most valuable asset, the Winter Soldier, was alive. I couldn’t see him, of course. But you had said his name and I felt the blow of the arm that HYDRA had gifted him.” The man continued on as if she never spoke.

“Not only did you bring him to us on a silver platter, but you revealed your hand as well, Ms. Lewis. You are fascinating in your own right, you know. It’s a pity that you know nothing about yourself or the cause that you’re helping.”

Darcy froze as she went back to the night of the alleyway. She had said Bucky’s last name. That was how the man must have identified them. She kept repeating to herself that HYDRA had brainwashed Bucky before with lies and fake memories. They could be lying to her now too. It wasn't worth it to engage or ask what they knew. She grit her teeth to keep the questions from tumbling out of her mouth.

“Names, Ms. Lewis, have infinite power. They leave us vulnerable.”

“Is that why you won’t tell me yours? Because you know that once I know, you’ll be finished?” Darcy snarled as she twisted her wrists some more, ignoring the burn the ropes were giving her. The voices in her head were getting clearer, but she couldn’t afford to listen to them now.

“At first we couldn’t tell where you disappeared off to. We had records of you getting on a flight to Washington DC and renting a car then returning the car back in New York. After that, it was like you vanished into thin air. No hint of you anywhere. We staked out your apartment for weeks, never seeing you. We thought you had died somewhere in a ditch at the hands of the asset, but there was no sign of you. Finally, we caught a glimpse of you visiting your friend, Jane? It was a matter of time before we got our hands on you.”

Darcy remained silent as she watched him walk around her in a slow circle.

“So, where were you this entire time?” the man asked, coming to a stop back in front of her, sitting in the discarded chair.

Darcy glared at him with as much distaste as she could muster. The man smirked his cold grin when he signalled to someone behind her. It was the henchman from her apartment.

“It looks like the cat’s got your tongue now, Ms. Lewis. We don’t have a lot of patience here, at HYDRA. We don’t have time, or patience. We’ll just have to use some methods to speed it up. If you’ll look at this red light over there.” The man pointed in the corner where Darcy noticed a camera sitting on a tripod.

“Hello, Avengers! As you’re busy flying all around the city trying to silence us, I have what matters most here. Or maybe, she doesn’t matter at all. Perhaps, she was just a means to an end. Regardless, she’ll make the perfect pet to be a substitute for the Winter Soldier. For now. You have 24 hours to return to us, asset. If you’re not here, the girl will be disposed of.” The henchman standing behind Darcy aimed a blow at her stomach and Darcy keeled over, gasping for air.

“You know we can do much worse, asset. Clock is ticking.” The man shut off the camera and sat in front of Darcy again.

“You’re in love with the dramatics, aren’t you?” Darcy gasped out, trying to regain some of the air that had left her from the blow.

The man simply stared at her and his expression turned pitying.

“I don’t understand why you protect him so. You know he was just using you to get to his final goal – Steve Rogers. Together, they will do despicable things. They’ve abandoned you, clearly and they only dote on each other. Poor, darling Darcy Lewis. Abandoned by your parents, abandoned by your foster families, abandoned by her lovers. Meanwhile, you don’t even know how special you are. You don’t need them. HYDRA knows how to appreciate assets.”

Darcy ignored him as she blinked back the tears in her eyes as each word landed a blow on her insecurities.

“You’re an awful lot of talk and nothing to show for it. You’ve been baiting me this entire time about who I am and how you know what I am. I don’t care. It doesn’t matter, so you can just shove that where the sun don’t shine.” She growled. Her head ached from ignoring the voices and from the beating she had been receiving.

The man only laughed and got up from his chair.

“In 24 hours, we’ll see if you’re worth anything to them, at all. It's a pity, really. You had so much potential. Alas, you're special. But not special enough. It’s not a loss to HYDRA if you die in vain. There will always be others.” The man trailed off.

He left Darcy in the darkness and she clenched her eyes shut, panting quietly, accepting her fate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun...Dun...Dun...!!!! 
> 
> New chapter Friday - leave me some love & comments until then!
> 
> Cheers!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bucky & Steve are definitely not happy with what's happened...

Bucky watched as the foes the Avengers were fighting suddenly disappeared and he sat up, peering at the screen. 

“What..?” Clint asked everyone through their headset.

“Sir, it looks like Rumlow has a message for the Avengers.” JARVIS’ voice echoed through everybody’s ears.

“Let’s see it, J.” Tony ordered and pointed his metal hand at a wall across from them which suddenly lit up with the screen.

Steve took a sudden intake of air when he saw Darcy, injured on the screen. He heard the audio through his ear piece and took off, running towards the tower. The rest of the group all took off after him and didn’t bother with watching as Rumlow harmed Darcy, but they still winced when they heard the beating. 

“J. Lockdown the entire tower. Don’t let Bucky leave.” Tony urged his blasters to go faster, towards his tower.

“Understood, sir.”

Bucky’s fists were clenched as he watched the video that Brock Rumlow had sent to the Avengers. He knew that everybody on the team could see it. The fear in Darcy’s eyes. The punch that sent her reeling. Bucky only felt white hot rage as he tried to make his way out of the tower. 

“Sir, you have been restricted from leaving here.” JARVIS’ voice irritated Bucky’s brain as he switched on and off between Bucky and the Winter Soldier.

The rest of the team rushed in as Steve rushed over to Bucky.

“Calm down, Buck.” Steve said.

“Calm. Down? He has her, Steve. He has her, because we were dumbasses who didn’t tell her everything we wanted beforehand. If we had just said something. Anything, she would still be here. We need to get her.” Bucky pushed Steve’s hands away, unwilling to be comforted.

“I know that. We will. But we can’t rush in without a plan. We don’t even know where he is or what he wants.” Steve tried to reason.

“HE’S TORTURING HER BECAUSE OF ME.” Bucky roared. The rage in his mind was consuming. He couldn’t see anything else but Darcy’s tear stained face and he knew what Rumlow was alluding to in his ability to do worse.

“I’ve been trapped by them before. I know what they can do to her. I know they’ll break her if we don’t go now.” Bucky forced out between clenched teeth.

“We don’t even know where she’s being kept right now.” Steve said, shoving Bucky backwards.

"Stop, think logically. You could end up hurting her even more if we're no sure." Steve insisted as he pushed against Bucky forcing him to continue backwards.

“J, trace that video. Find out where that fucker is.” Tony said and silence answered him back, with JARVIS running in the background.

“We need to go. We can’t just sit around waiting.” Bucky snarled.

“If we go to the wrong place, we’re wasting time and energy. We need to be sure.” Tony said, pulling up screens in front of a computer monitor where he was tracking the potential locations.

Bruce and Tony separately did their own research and tried to trace the video, working silently together alongside JARVIS. 

Bucky couldn’t refute the logic and he sat back down, grabbing his hair in frustration. They all sat in silence for hours, waiting for JARVIS to find some hint of where Darcy was.

Steve sat next to Bucky, wanting to pull him into his arms. Bucky shrugged him off with a scowl.

"This is our fault. We let her go. We didn't set her straight. We should have just told her to begin with. Fuck." Bucky snarled and Steve froze.

"We didn't know this was going to happen, Buck. This isn't anybody's fault." Steve weakly said.

Bucky shook his head vehemently. 

"This. Is. Our. Fault." he said and he moved away from Steve with his head in his hands. 

Steve deflated and hunched over, while the rest of the team quietly milled around awkwardly. 

"I can't lose her, Steve." Bucky finally said quietly.

"I know that. But don't push me away." Steve whispered.

"I'm not pushing you away. But how can I pretend to be okay with accepting comfort from you right now, when we drove her into the enemy's hands?" 

"Yes, we played it wrong. Completely. We shouldn't have gotten so caught up. But...is it so wrong to want to be comforted and comfort the person I've been dreaming of for the past few decades?" Steve asked.

Bucky sighed.

"I'm sorry. Sorry. I'm just. I feel like I'm going crazy. I don't know what to do. I know it's weird to be so obsessed with someone I've literally just met in such a short period of time compared to you. But she was the first person who made me feel like I wasn't insane and she tried to help me. And I feel this connection with her, the same one I felt and still feel with you. She protected me, she brought me back to you. She's so important to us. And now, she's being brutalized by a heartless bastard and I feel responsible. She's protecting me now, still!" Bucky's voice was agonized and Steve scooted closer to him.

"We'll find her, Buck. I promise you. When we find her, we'll make sure there's no question about our feelings for her. We're going to spoil her rotten and make this up to her. We're in this together, Buck. 'Til the end of the line. We'll get her back." Steve put his arm around Bucky who resisted for a second before melting into his arms.

Bucky put his hand over top Steve's and squeezed a silent apology. Steve tightened his grip around Bucky and kissed the top of his head. They sat in that position, watching Tony and Bruce flick through multiple screens and have hushed conversations with JARVIS on the whereabouts of Rumlow.

Finally, a few hours later, JARVIS had good news.

“Sir, it looks like Rumlow is underground, in a hidden subway system. It cannot be accessed by the public. It looks like they dug an underground bunker within the subway system. Right under Times Square.” JARVIS’ voice startled everybody as Bucky leapt out of Steve's arms and rushed to the door.

He was met with resistance by the whole team as he almost ripped them all out of the way.

“We’ll get her, Bucky. Just calm down for a second. We can’t be going in blind. We’ll be no help to her if we get caught too and just hand him ourselves on a silver platter.” Steve insisted, pulling at Bucky’s arm.

Bucky stilled for a second, taking in deep breaths and letting Steve’s words wash over him.

“Fine. Plan. What’s the plan?” Bucky asked, looking around.

Looking more reassured that Bucky was calm, the team gathered around and they came up with a course of action.

“Lady Darcy isn’t just important to you, Sir Bucky.” Thor said solemnly, hand on Bucky’s shoulder.

Bucky shrugged the hand off, but acknowledged the comment and followed along the skeleton points of the plan.

“You can’t let me sit this one out, Steve.” Bucky said, interrupting the conversation.

“What if it’s just a trap, Buck? I can’t let you take that risk. I can’t lose you again.” Steve said, his voice cracking.

Bucky walked over to Steve and gripped his face in both of his hands and kissed him with a violent fierceness.

“I won’t get caught again, punk. Now that I have someone else to be fighting for, you’ll bet I’m going to be coming back. With her and you. I need to be there, Steve. I need to be the one to end his pathetic little life for threatening her.” Bucky insisted, touching his forehead with Steve’s.

He felt Steve’s nod and Steve’s lips on his forehead before letting each other go.

“So, Steve and Bucky will take the lead and go in first. Clint, Natasha, Pietro, you’ll be on the outside, making sure none of them can escape. Hulk, Wanda and I will shadow Steve and Bucky to keep the chaos contained underground. Wanda, you will twist the minds of anybody guarding the area while Steve and Bucky invade inside. Sam, Rhodey, Thor, you will take to the skies to keep an eye on anybody trying to escape out of Clint, Natasha and Pietro’s hands. They do not get to walk free.” Tony looked every person in the eye, receiving nods of acknowledgement back. 

“Let’s roll out then.” Steve took on his Captain America voice and everybody nodded in agreement.

The streets of New York were abandoned and silent as they made their way to the unknown underground. People had scattered as soon as they were being terrorized by HYDRA cohorts. Only the random sirens could be heard in the distance.

“Do not worry, Sir Bucky. We will find Lady Darcy and we will make those who took her pay.” Thor’s usual cheerful nature turned dark and dangerous, with the clouds above reflecting his threat.

“Yeah, he will. I’ll make sure of it.” Bucky agreed, darkly.

They reached the entrance of the tunnel and they all took their respective positions, ready to storm in. They were going to get Darcy back, no matter what it took.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Muahahaha, who's ready for the rescue?? Long chapter next, I promise! Coming Sunday if everything goes according to plan!
> 
> As always, leave me some love & comments!
> 
> Cheers!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt bad about yesterday's admittedly meatless chapter, so I thought I'd post a day early for you all to enjoy! Hope this brightens up your weekend! I won't bore you with anything further - happy reading!

The man came in every hour, to remind Darcy that the time was ticking. She rubbed her wrists raw, trying to get out of her ropes, but had no luck. She knew the henchman was watching her in a corner, in the dark, but she couldn’t stop trying. The voices were getting louder, almost like they weren’t to be ignored. Still, she used all the techniques she used in her past and she shut them out as she struggled.

As the man announced every hour go by, she began to feel herself droop and lose hope. She didn’t want to admit it to herself, but she was almost expecting them not to come. Who was she to them, anyway? Why would Steve let Bucky risk his life to save a nobody? Someone who they wanted out of their lives. It would be easier to let her die here than to need to deal with her female feelings about them in the long run.

“2 hours left, my dear. It looks like you didn’t mean anything to them, at all.” The man returned and she turned her face away.

“Perhaps they’ve really wanted to be rid of you this whole time. Perhaps it was you who was overstaying your welcome with them. Not knowing how to take hints.” The man continued.

“Nonetheless, the offer still stands. We have the information you need. If you just cooperate with us.” 

“If you know I was with them, how can you not know where I was?” Darcy asked, hollowly.

“You disappeared from the face of the Earth. Stark must have developed some sort of technology to mask the tower from us. We can’t crack it. If you tell us the location, however, we’d be able to find it, much easier.” 

Darcy remained silent.

“You know, the asset used to always think of Rogers when he was brainwashed. No matter how many times we trained him, he still managed to hold onto some memory of the man. You have to admire that tenacity.”

Darcy’s heart fell as it confirmed what she always thought. They would never accept her into the relationship when what they had was so strong and deep.

“It’s a pity that you fell in love with them.” Darcy’s head snapped up as the man laughed at her.

“Don’t take it personally, everybody seems to be invisible to them when they’re with each other.”

“I’m here, fucker. What do you want.” Bucky’s voice startled Darcy as she looked around, trying to pinpoint where he was coming from.

The man in front of her didn’t seem panicked at all. He took a slow look around, and relaxed in his chair.

“Winter Soldier, how nice of you to grace us with your presence. And you brought a guest. Come to join the cause, Captain?” the man drawled and Darcy saw her two soldiers coming out from the shadows.

“Hey sweetheart, sorry we’re late.” Steve ignored the man and she saw that he had put his hand on Bucky’s arm to prevent them from moving forward any more.

The henchman came up from behind her and cut her loose, but tugged her to his front and put a knife to her throat.

“Another step, my friends. Take another step and she’ll be gone.” The man said with an air of ease. His back, still to the soldiers.

“You know, now that you’re both here, Miss Lewis is pretty expendable. Besides, I have men everywhere here.” the man gestured into the shadows of the tunnels. 

Bucky’s whole body screamed with tension, and Steve had to grab him to stop him from approaching Rumlow.

“We’re here. Let her go.” Steve firmly said.

"Or not..." The man laughed.

“Now that I know what she means to you, I don’t think I can let her go. She’ll be the perfect asset with some re-training. My, how magnificent to have you both in the palm of our hands. I think this is the perfect time to explain Miss Lewis’ power here, with an audience.” The man cackled as he grinned in delight, sending shivers up Darcy’s spine. The knife against her throat never wavered and her hands automatically went up to clutch at her captor’s arm to release some of the stranglehold on her neck. 

“You see, Miss Lewis has a very special bond with the Winter Soldier. Didn’t you ever wonder why she was the only one who could communicate with you even as you didn’t know who you were? The answer is simple, really. HYDRA prepares for all scenarios and they never fail.” 

She saw Bucky’s fists clench and Steve’s grip on Bucky’s arm tighten.

“I guess to explain, we must start from the beginning. The beginning of when we found you. After you presumably fell to your death, HYDRA picked you up and preserved you, similar to what the Captain went through. We kept you frozen and alive at least until we knew what and how we were going to use you for our cause. Then decades later, came a pair of scientists who were fascinated with the Super Soldiers. They had researched everything they could about the serum and was more than willing to conduct tests to help us brainwash said soldier in return of studying and analyzing how the serum worked. They wanted to remake the serum, for a better cause of course. But, eventually the greatness of HYDRA convinced them that the idea of world peace was pathetic. What the world really needed was to be ruled with chaos.” The man stepped closer to Darcy and stroked her cheek gently and she flinched away, only to have the knife dig a little deeper.

“As they tested the soldier time and time again, they created their own little guinea pig for their many iterations of a super soldier. A little girl.” Darcy felt her body freeze as she realized his implication as he cupped her chin and tilted her head up.

“Of course, none of the serums worked. It was all useless testing. But, their work with the Winter Soldier was magnificent. Test after test, we were able to manipulate the mind of Bucky Barnes. Even if there was a snag of Captain America always looming in his memories. Still, day after day, this child was exposed to the Winter Soldier, developed a bond of some sort. Slowly, the experiments changed where they wanted to bond the little girl to the soldier. As a method to control him, if you will. If she could communicate with him through the mind, she could always see where he was, what he was thinking, what makes him tick. One last test to see if they were successful.” The man peered thoughtfully into Darcy’s eyes.

“Before we could test the theory, we lost control of the Winter Soldier and he escaped, killing many in the process, including your parents.”

Darcy gulped and the man released her face and spun to look at the soldiers again. Darcy didn’t dare look at Bucky, afraid she would see condemnation that she came from parents who would experiment and ruin someone’s life so callously.

“You’re lying.” Bucky’s voice was hoarse.

“Am I? It would do me no good to lie. She would have been a good asset as well, you know. With the proper training. After this, we can continue the experiments. We were so close. We just need to activate one more strand in her brain. The notes are all still here, you know. We kept track of the symptoms and what would be happening to her after we left her in the foster home. We monitored her closely, watching and realizing that she could communicate with the Others. Of course, we couldn't have her blurting out what she knew to anybody at random, so we did our own little brainwashing on her. A little manipulation of her childhood, left her abandoned, but kept a close eye on her for a while. Of course, that was no use to use at the time when she yielded no sign of having any communication with you. But, at least they did not die in vain. Once you two met again, it was like the programming never stopped. She led us right back to you and we’ve never been so lucky.” The man’s laugh rang throughout the empty tunnel.

In a moment of confusion, Darcy's barriers from the voices weakened and suddenly, Darcy heard whispers that she was used to hearing filling her mind. With a sense of unease, now knowing the origin of the voices, Darcy moved her head, a little confused, but the knife against her neck prevented her from looking around properly.

The whispers grew louder, creating a buzz in her brain as she tried to concentrate on not hyperventilating.

“Shut up. Shut up.” She whispered and she felt the henchman start with confusion.

“Darcy, doll, are you alright?” Bucky called out to her. Darcy refused to acknowledge the warmth she thought she heard in his voice. Not after her past. She ignored him as she concentrated on blocking out the voices.

“Don’t speak to her.” The man stood up and approached the two soldiers. The henchman gripped her tighter and pushed the knife to her throat, breaking skin, causing Bucky and Steve to hiss simultaneously. 

“Now, are you going to be a good boy and begin your training, soldier?”

Bucky spat in the man’s face.

“Never in your dreams, Rumlow.” 

When Bucky said the man’s name, visions flashed before Darcy’s eyes. The whispers grew into a frenzied buzz as they all chanted the man’s name. She saw the people the voices belonged to. They were Rumlow's victims. She saw how Rumlow hunted them down, showed them no mercy. She saw his memories. His childhood flashed before her. 

Abandonment.

Abuse.

Misunderstood.

Recruited. 

Belonging.

Having a purpose.

Darcy stumbled against the henchman as she blinked through every vision she was seeing. Her vision cleared enough and the buzz died down to whispers as she finally listened to what they were saying.

“Looks like I’m not the only one who was abandoned, Rumlow.” Darcy croaked. 

Everybody in the room froze. Rumlow slowly turned around to face Darcy.

“What did you just say?” he asked, walking towards her.

“You heard me.”

“I don’t think I did. You have a knife to your throat, my dear. Your soldiers are here to do my bidding you think you can speak now? You think they’ll care about you after your parents were the ones who kept them separated and manipulated Barnes? Created a murderer?” Rumlow sounded incredulous and a little questioning of her stupidity.

“This is how you were tortured too, wasn’t it? HYDRA held you ransom. Thinking you were leverage over your politician family who held the power HYDRA needed at the time. You had already turned to them, betraying your family to them. But still, that wasn't enough for HYDRA. Your loyalty meant nothing to them. They wanted your family's loyalty. Using you, HYDRA threatened your family, asking for their loyalty. Even as you became loyal to them. Yet, you didn't matter. Not to your family, not to HYDRA. Nobody came for you. You waited and waited, while being tortured relentlessly in your darkest days. Brainwashed. Your family knew the right from wrong and would rather leave you to die at the hands of HYDRA than join the cause. But you, you felt like you had found a cause to belong to. Felt like they were justified in torturing you for power. So desperate to belong.” Darcy continued, pulling on the voices of his victims and the knowledge they were feeding her.

The henchman behind her loosened his grip, confused at what was happening. Rumlow’s face had twisted into an ugly expression as he completely ignored the two soldiers who were now inching slowly towards them.

“Not only killing innocents like Rachel Leighton, but betraying your own just to build your power. For what? You’ll never belong, Brock. Your family didn’t want you to come back. For good reason. Look at you. So pathetic, fighting someone else’s cause. Not having one of your own. Not being able to tell right from wrong. You’ll never be wanted. Never having a purpose. At least I was created to have a purpose. I was created to be something special. You? You’re just a pathetic being, still searching for validation.” Darcy spat out at Rumlow.

"No matter what you do, you'll never be good enough for HYDRA. You're just their pathetic little foot soldier, getting your hands all dirty, but never somebody special. You're nothing, Brock Rumlow." Darcy hissed out and she felt the henchman shift first before she saw Rumlow's anger.

Rumlow roared, reaching out to throttle Darcy, but Bucky and Steve got to him first. All at once, everything jumped into action. Tony, Wanda and Hulk came in from nowhere and knocked out the henchmen surrounding them in the shadows with ease.

The henchman who was holding Darcy was easily discarded with Wanda throwing him against the wall, away from Darcy. Darcy collapsed to the ground as she gripped her throat, feeling worn out and exhausted. The voices halted their chants and they all seemed to watch in baited breath as Captain America and Bucky Barnes fought Rumlow.

Rumlow’s rage seemed to drive him to battle the two super soldiers. Darcy mused in a daze that he might have been experimented on at some point as well, judging by his drooping face. Still, he was no match for the two super soldiers.

Sensing he was at the end of his rope, he directed his glare at Darcy who was slumped over on the ground, watching the fight with a faint detachment. The voices suddenly started shouting at her again, causing her to jerk back up and recognize her surroundings.

In a split second, she saw Rumlow lift his weapon and pull the trigger at her. Everything around her grew silent in her ears. Everything slowed down and Darcy looked at Bucky and Steve for one last time. In an instant she saw their time together play out like a movie in front of her eyes. She wondered idly if this was what it was like to have your life flash before your eyes. She suddenly realized that her time with the two soldier were some of the most real moments in her life. If what Rumlow said was true, nothing she experienced in her past was credible and she felt a moment of deep sadness of not knowing what really happened to her before trying to concentrate on the fantasies playing before her eyes.

She saw what could have been between Steve, Bucky and herself. She saw them cuddling into the early morning light. She saw them watching the sunrise together, wrapped up in each other. She felt the longing ache of watching Steve and Bucky make her breakfast in bed. She felt the love she so desperately wanted her entire life. Most importantly, she felt herself surrounded by her soldiers and a team of people who had no judgement, just happiness reflected in their expressions.

Suddenly, the images she saw flashing by was interrupted by someone shouting at her from a distance. She jerked back into reality and saw that Bucky was rushing towards her while Steve leaped towards Rumlow. Faintly, she noticed Wanda’s focus shift from the henchman she was fighting to the bullet rushing to Darcy. She felt the shift of Wanda’s power as she rushed to control the bullet that had almost reached Darcy. It was too late.

Darcy closed her eyes and heard a clang of the bullet hitting something, but she didn’t feel anything. She opened her eyes and saw that Bucky had made it in front of her and his hands were cupped around her face, stroking her cheeks with softness she had been craving. Bucky was hovering over her, saying something, but nothing made sense. She still heard the faint buzzing of voices, but she wasn’t paying attention anymore. In the back of her mind, she worried that Bucky was injured or maybe the bullet penetrated her so thoroughly that she felt nothing. Finally, exhausted, Darcy let herself be pulled under and hope that she never would have to wake up to see disappointment in her soldiers' eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you guys enjoy? I'm very excited to see what you guys thought and how you feel about this chapter! Let me know in the comments & leave me some love!
> 
> Next chapter to come Wednesday/Thursday as we wind down in their story!
> 
> Cheers! :)


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gahhhhh, here it is! This is kind of, technically the last chapter? Read on & read the end notes for more information!
> 
> Happy reading!

Darcy woke up to bright lights piercing her skull as she groaned and moved away from the lights. Instantly, she felt hands on her and the lights dim significantly.

“Doll? Are you with us?” Bucky’s voice filtered through her brain as she pried her eyes open.

She grunted, unable to speak. He helped her sit up and she saw that Steve was beside her as well. It was a strange sensation to have the physical body of Bucky beside her. It wasn’t faltering like the apparition had. It was strong and real. 

“Here, have some water.” Steve put a cup with a straw in front of her and she slurped on it thankfully.

“Slowly, don’t need you to get sick.” Steve cautioned.

“The bullet?” she whispered in between sips of water.

“It hit my arm. No harm, no foul, doll.” Bucky responded as he pushed some of her hair out of her face and seemed to revel in being able to touch her.

She ignored the butterflies tingling and focused on drinking without choking.

Having drank her fill, she looked at the two soldier who were looking at her with adoration and concern. She brushed those wishful thoughts away and looked around her. She was very obviously in a medical room. She couldn’t hear any voices. Maybe she was in the Stark tower? 

“You’re safe here. We’re at Stark tower. Rumlow is taken care of. Gone. HYDRA has been subdued. We’re fine.” Steve assured her, as if reading her mind.

She nodded and then looked down at her hands, suddenly feeling awkward.

“Doll. Before we get further, let’s set the record straight here. We want you to stay with us. We want you with us. In any capacity you want.” Bucky said.

Darcy’s eyes shot to his and Steve’s for reassurance.

“Besides the obvious issues with that…how could you want to be with me? Especially knowing my past? And how screwed up it is that my parents would abuse you like that?” Darcy whispered, averting her eyes back to her hands.

“You were abused too, darling. You were an innocent in all of this. You had nothing to do with it and you were used too.” Steve said softly.

“I…I have evil blood in me. The people who could do that to someone. That’s horrific and that’s something that runs through my veins.” Darcy’s eyes watered as she felt the first tear roll down her face.

Bucky shifted and he gripped her hands with his.

“Doll, look at me.” 

Darcy clenched her jaw and looked into Bucky’s eyes.

“Do you think that I’m a cold blooded murderer?” he asked her and Darcy immediately shook her head vehemently.

“Never! You had no idea what you were doing, you were manipulated into doing awful things.” She started as Bucky lifted his finger to press against her lips, stopping her rant.

“If you can offer me that amount of compassion and understand that I didn’t want to do any of those things, why can’t you offer that to yourself? You were just a child, Darcy. You had nothing to do with anything that happened to me.” Bucky insisted and Darcy contemplated his words for a minute.

Steve reached out and his hands were on top of both hers and Bucky’s and nodded in agreement.

“You have suffered just as much, and you have been nothing but amazing this entire time.” Steve added.

Darcy shook her head. She switched gears to the crux of the issue with their relationship.

“You guys are together.” Darcy croaked out, her voice raw from misuse.

“We’re together, but that doesn’t we can’t be together.” Steve said, pointing to all three of them.

“That’s not…normal.” Darcy tried.

“We’re not normal. We’re two 100 year old super soldiers who were frozen for 70 odd years. I don’t think there’s anything normal about us to begin with.” Bucky said tenderly, brushing her hair away from her face.

“I…I thought I was only the messenger.” Darcy was still confused.

“Never the messenger, sweetheart. I could see Bucky the minute he touched me in the chambers. We wanted you to stay so we could prove to you that we were good enough to be with you.” Steve took her hand and she found herself blinking back tears again.

“Do you want to be with us, doll?” Bucky asked.

Darcy nodded furiously, ignoring the dull throb that made her feel as she felt nauseous from the nod.

“Easy there, we understand. Get some rest, sweetheart. We’ll be here when you wake up.” Steve assured her.

They both helped her lay back down and she grabbed at their hands, not wanting this to be a dream. They held on and both kissed her on the forehead as she felt herself be pulled back under. This time, she felt calm and peaceful as she slept, assured that her soldiers would be there when she woke up.

It took Darcy several months to recover from the whole ordeal. Without superhuman healing skills, she healed the old fashioned way, letting her body do all the work. It was a very slow process, but Bucky and Steve were with her the entire way.

They moved back into Bucky’s floor and back into where Darcy had stayed before Bucky returned. They developed a comfortable routine as the boys made it clear her first priority was healing.

The voices never returned while she was in the Stark Tower. This time, there was no voice from Bucky either in her head. It was eerie to get used to the silence, but Darcy never missed the buzz of voices demanding her attention when two super soldiers were in the flesh demanding her attention. 

When Darcy was feeling up to it, they would leave the Tower together for a walk. When they first ventured out, Darcy was surprised to find that even though the voices were there, they were subdued. No longer trying to get her attention. They were there as quiet whispers to keep her company. Even though this was obviously a power of some sort, Darcy refused to endure tests or go through any type of training to see how far her powers stretched. She didn't want to take advantage or use something that was programmed into her due to her parent's tests which tortured Bucky.

Bucky and Steve never questioned her choice and never asked her to talk about what she heard unless she brought it up.

She still had her moments of doubt that she couldn’t get rid of her family history, especially when JARVIS confirmed that what Rumlow had said was true. They had ransacked the entire underground den and had found papers that were written in code. The code was deciphered using JARVIS and they found evidence supporting Rumlow's story, including the part where Bucky had killed Darcy’s parents. Strangely, Darcy felt better that he had been the one who was able to exact revenge on his abusers. Whenever she found herself thinking those thoughts, she felt herself shudder as she wondered if she was as bloodthirsty as her parents. 

Still, the soldiers left no doubt that they weren’t going to leave her. They comforted her every time she got the faraway look in her eyes when she was haunted by a past she couldn't remember. She still wasn’t able to see past the manipulated memories. Wanda had offered to sift through them for her, but Darcy didn’t really want to remember anything more than what she had been planted. She didn’t really need to see the horrid past that was written on papers already play back in her brain. 

Steve and Bucky never left her side during her recovery. They never spoke about the incident again unless she brought it up and even then, they were incredibly gentle and understanding when she would suddenly shut down and just wanted to be held. They held her and whispered sweet nothings in her ear and kissed her head softly, allowing her to feel protected. They resumed their routines that they had before Bucky regained his physical form. 

They had their weekly movie nights with the team and the team was incredibly welcoming. Darcy was scared that they would judge her for being with two men, but nobody even batted an eye when they saw the three of them squished together on the couch the first movie night with both Steve and Bucky's arms around her.

Still, the weeks went by and neither of the soldiers mentioned them making it official. Not after that first morning she woke up in the hospital. Nobody had mentioned them being in a relationship again, and nobody made the first move to take it any further than a few pecks here and there. She wasn’t sure if they would ever become anything more, even as she felt herself want it more. She didn’t know how to broach the subject, but she berated herself for wanting more when they doted on her and devoted themselves to make her feel comfortable.

One evening, after a candlelight dinner that was cooked by Steve, the trio sat in their usual spots. Darcy propped up on the bed with a book, Steve sitting on the couch that had been relocated to face the bed with his sketchbook in his hands, and Bucky laying on the couch next to Steve, fiddling with a Stark Phone that he had been introduced to him by Tony. 

Darcy couldn’t concentrate on her book as she let her thoughts stray to whether she was overstaying her welcome with the soldier or whether they wanted to take things to the next step. Her eyes peered over her book as she glanced at the two men who were facing her.

Steve’s face was concentrated as he sketched something and his tongue was sticking out a little while Bucky had his brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what each button on the phone did. She felt her lips curl into a fond smile as she watched them both concentrate so deeply on their respective activities.

“What are you smiling about over there, darling?” Steve’s voice startled her out of her reverie as she realized he was looking at her now and had gotten the attention of Bucky as well.

She blushed and she looked back down at her book.

“Nothing.” She muttered and she tried to re-read the same paragraph twice.

She felt the bed dip beside her on both sides and both men crawled in next to her. Steve lifted the book out of her hands and Bucky wrapped his arm around her.

“From the wise words of Tony Stark, it’s never nothing.” Bucky said and Darcy rolled her eyes.

“Taking advice from Tony, now? That’s dangerous territory.” Darcy teased.

“No diverting the topic. What’s going on? You’ve been quiet all day.” Steve settled in next to her.

Darcy remained quiet, unsure how to start.

“Are you hurting somewhere, doll? You know you need to tell us…” Bucky said, starting to examine her injuries.

She stopped him with a rolling of her eyes.

“I was smiling at you guys just a minute ago. Do you think I’d be smiling if I was in pain?”

“Then, what is it?” Bucky asked.

Darcy paused, the smile slipping off her face.

“I…” Darcy started, before she stopped herself.

She looked at the expectant faces of Steve and Bucky.

“What…what exactly are we?” she finally said, unable to find another way to ask.

Steve and Bucky both looked horrified.

“Sorry. I don’t mean to pressure you into anything. Pretend I never said anything. Let’s just go to bed. This never happened.” Darcy panicked and tried to slide under the covers to hide her shame.

“Hey, hey, hey. Stop that. You have nothing to be sorry for. We’re the ones who should be sorry. We thought we were being obvious, but clearly we needed to be even more obvious.” Steve insisted.

“Do you remember what we told you when you first woke up, doll?” Bucky asked, removing his arm from around her and holding one of her hands while Steve held the other.

“You wanted me to stay with you?”

“Yes, in any capacity you were comfortable with. We thought we were giving you space and when you were ready you would ask us or give us some indication. You’ll have to forgive us, darling. We’re a little bit rusty on how to ask someone to be our girl. It’s been decades, after all.” Steve said and Darcy could hardly believe what she heard.

“Be your girl?” Darcy asked, timidly.

“Yes. 100%. If we weren’t clear that we wanted that, then we’ve been doing this all wrong and we promise to do better.” Bucky said earnestly.

“So, what do you say, darling? Be our girl?” Steve asked.

Darcy nodded and she threw herself at them with her arms around them and they held her close. That night, it felt different when they fell asleep together and when Darcy woke up, she felt calm and serene. Something that she hadn’t felt in a long time. She felt like she actually belonged and had a place in their lives. Darcy felt herself accept that she was part of the family now. 

She thought she could just cover up the fake memories she had, but she felt a peace in her bones that she hadn't felt in a long time. Now, she had a chance to make new ones - real ones. Memories that she chose to make, not what others told her were true. She cuddled closer to Bucky and Steve and closed her eyes happily snuggling in their warmth. She couldn’t wait to create new memories together and see where her life would lead, but she knew she would be happy as long as she was with her two super soldiers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, yes, this is basically the end? In terms of the storyline. I have a very explicit sex scene that has been written that would have been included in this chapter, but I thought if some of you aren't interested in the sex scenes, I wouldn't include it in the body of the story. So, if you aren't that into smut/steamy times, this is it! I might include some domestic fluff because I'm a sucker for those, so that might come some time later this month (maybe closer to Valentine's day? :))
> 
> In honour of so many of you leaving me such nice comments (that I love to read!!), drop me a comment about what kind of domestic fluff you'd like to see between the three of them and I'll see what I can come up with!
> 
> The smutty scene will be up next week (maybe Sunday) to spice up your weeks.
> 
> Finally, if this is the last time I'll be seeing some of you, thank you so much for your support, the kudos and thank you for leaving comments. I loved reading all of your reactions each chapter, and it's been so nice to know you guys have been enjoying the story!!
> 
> For those who are going to be reading the sexy times, see you soon!!
> 
> Cheers! :)


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Warning - this chapter is only sexy times. There is no storyline here!! The last chapter was Chapter 18 to wrap up the main story!
> 
> Here it is! Smutty goodness, forgive me if it's not up to standards, this is my first explicit scene and I hope I do it justice!!
> 
> Happy reading!

During Darcy’s recovery, the super soldiers were always tending to her, making sure she was comfortable, making sure she wasn’t over-exerting herself. Sometimes, she felt like she was waiting for one of them to change their minds. Almost as if they could sense it, they would pepper her with more kisses and cuddle her a bit more that day. Kissing was as far as they got in that aspect of their relationship. Not good making out kissing either. Just soft, sweet pecks on the lips. It frustrated Darcy to no end. Of course, they were concerned in hurting her some more, so with their epic self-control, they didn’t take it any further.

Even when she was discharged from the medical bay and back into her rooms, they all slept in the same bed, but nothing ever happened. As much as she hated it, Darcy had to admit she was still very tired from her run in with HYDRA and her body was taking more time to recover.

Finally, one morning, she woke up feeling the best she had ever felt since that day. Not only was she feeling great, she needed some relief and she felt it was long awaited. She felt both of her soldiers wrapped around her like leaves on trees and she took a moment to cherish the feeling. Soon, she felt the familiar tingle and she started to roll her hips back and forth on Steve and Bucky.

Steve was spooning her from behind, and Bucky was wrapped up around her in her front. Just like the first time that anything had happened. Both men groaned as they slowly awakened to Darcy rolling her hips on their morning situations.

“Darce…if you keep doing that, we might not be able to stop.” Bucky groaned.

“That’s the point.” Darcy panted as she felt her pussy get wetter at Bucky’s morning voice.

“Sweetheart, we don’t want to hurt you.” Steve’s hands rested on her hips in an attempt to stop her, but she only got wetter from the touch.

“You won’t. It’s been too long. I can’t wait anymore. I don’t want to wait.” Darcy said breathlessly.

“Don’t you want to?” Darcy asked, feigning hurt and stilling her hips for a minute.

Bucky growled as he grabbed one of her hands and put it against his growing bulge.

“Don’t want it? Doll, I’m hard for you every day and I have to take care of myself in the shower. I think I more than want to.” 

Steve groaned in agreement as his hand finally wandered below her hips. Just like the first time, he began rubbing her pussy over her pants. Bucky’s metal hand joined his and it was a new experience. With two physical hands touching her, Darcy could feel herself drenching their hands, even over her clothes.

“Feel how wet she is for us, Stevie.” Bucky groaned as he used his other hand to knead her breast.

Darcy’s hand reached over to each man’s bulge and started to rub, unable to help herself. Both men groaned in unison as they began to grind their hips against her hand. Soon, they were all grinding against each other’s hands, rocking the bed slowly.

Darcy turned her face towards Steve, searching and Steve did not disappoint. His lips met hers and he nipped at her lips, causing her to cry out. She wasn’t afraid of making noise now. In fact, it seemed her noise spurred the men on, so she moaned – loudly. 

Steve released her lips and she turned her head to Bucky and Bucky reciprocated, kissing her with ferocity that turned her on even more. 

“Tell us when you’re close, sweetheart. Come on.” Steve encouraged, rubbing at her mound harder.

“Please, more. Harder.” Darcy moaned out.

Bucky switched places with Steve and put his metal hand against her mound. His hard hand caused her whole body to shudder in pleasure as she rutted against him, unable to speak. She pushed her hand against Steve’s and pushed their hands harder against her pussy, enjoying the pressure it was creating on her clit. Bucky pushed his middle finger deeper into the material and Darcy bucked her hips, wanting him to go deeper. They kept going until Darcy couldn’t contain herself and she felt her juice squirt through the material.

Steve and Bucky both groaned as they felt her juices and she felt like she was floating. Soon, they were stripping her of her clothes and they swore under their breaths.

“You’re gorgeous, doll.” Bucky breathed out.

He used his metal fingers to insert them into Darcy and Darcy almost catapulted off the bed. She was so sensitive down there from her orgasm that she almost jumped into her next orgasm immediately if Bucky hadn’t gone slow.

“Please.” Darcy sobbed, begging for more.

Steve’s mouth clamped onto her nipple as she thrust her breasts at him and she thrashed as Bucky’s mouth met her clit. She had never felt so pleasured before, she felt overwhelmed. 

“Come for us, sweetheart.”   
Darcy opened her mouth in a soundless scream as she came for a second time. Her eyes drooped in a haze as she took in the two men who gave her such pleasure.

“She’s soaking for us, Stevie. She squirts.” Bucky’s voice made her shudder as she felt for them, wanting to reciprocate.

Bucky and Steve chuckled as they shed their clothes and she dragged her hands down their bodies before reaching what she was looking for. Both men were handsomely endowed and she gripped them lightly, tugging experimentally. Both men groaned instantly and pre-come dripped from their tips onto her breasts. The sight was enough to make both men come right there if they didn’t have the serum coursing through them.

“You’re so beautiful looking like that, sweetheart.” Steve managed to grunt out.

Darcy continued to tug at them and sat up a little to allow them in her mouth.

“Are you sure, doll?” Bucky asked, hesitating.

“Please.” That seemed to be all Darcy knew how to say right now.

Together, Bucky and Steve thrust their cocks inside Darcy’s mouth and her cheeks expanded and her hand wandered to her pussy. She had never had two cocks in her mouth at one time before, and she had never felt so aroused before.

She played with her clit as she sucked her two soldiers, enjoying their groans of pleasure.

“Doll, you don’t know what you do to us.” Bucky panted as he stared into Darcy’s eyes.

She was a vision. One hand was touching her wet pussy, the other was touching her nipples while she looked up at them, sucking on their cocks.

Steve pulled out of her mouth first and went down on her again, causing Darcy to moan around Bucky’s mouth. Bucky groaned as he felt the vibrations on his cock.

“Do that again, Stevie. She likes it.” 

Steve flicked her clit again and stuck two fingers in her pussy. Darcy bucked up and took Bucky in deep in her throat. Bucky almost howled in pleasure.

“Are you ready for me, sweetheart?” Steve asked.

Darcy nodded frantically around Bucky’s cock and Steve lined himself up at her entrance. Steve put the tip of his cock in and Darcy spasmed, just feeling Steve in her.

“Fuck, she’s so tight, Buck.” Steve moaned.

Darcy let Bucky’s cock slip out of her mouth to pant.

“Oh god, Steve. Please. Fuck me.” She moaned.

Steve’s eyes almost rolled to the back of his head as he slammed into her, causing Darcy to scream. Bucky stuck his thumb into her mouth as Darcy sucked furiously, watching as Bucky and Steve leaned over her to kiss. It wasn’t just any kiss. It was the hottest make-out session she had ever seen. Their tongues were everywhere and Bucky’s hand reached down and touched her clit, electrifying her entire body.

Steve started to piston in and out of Darcy’s pussy, her own juices making squelching noises as he slammed in and out. Steve’s hand wrapped around Bucky’s cock as they continued to kiss and moan into each other’s mouths. Darcy sucked on Bucky’s thumb vigorously as he rubbed her nub. Suddenly, Darcy couldn’t hold it in anymore, she felt her body explode as the force of her juices forced Steve from her body. 

“Fuck.” Darcy screamed as her body trembled and rocked her with spasms.

Steve immediately slammed back into her, causing Darcy’s eyes to roll to the back of her head. She had never felt such intense pleasure before, over and over again. Steve grunted and she felt warmth enter her body as she came again, this time in short, small spasms. Steve retreated from her body and she felt his loss, heard herself mewling her pussy being empty. Steve leaned over to kiss Darcy’s mouth.

“Don’t worry, it’s my turn, doll.” Bucky soothed.

She was so slick from their juices that Bucky just slammed into her with no warning. She screamed into Steve’s mouth as her whole body shook. Bucky’s cock filled her in a different way than Steve’s. Both were amazing, but slightly different.

Bucky set an unforgiving pace. Darcy felt like she couldn’t breathe from the amount of pleasure she felt building inside. Suddenly, he stopped. Darcy whined, looking at him to see him and Steve looking at her with adoration.

“Tell us what you want, sweetheart.” Steve said, kissing Bucky again.

Darcy moaned as she watched and she lifted her fingers to her mouth, sucking on them. Her other hand wandered to where Bucky was stationed and slowly rubbed herself.

“More. Please. I need more. I want to cum.” She whispered.

Bucky growled in agreement as he slowed his pace and set it torturously slow. She rubbed herself frantically, but Steve took her hand away.

“We give you the pleasure.” He said and his hand replaced hers. He stuck another finger inside her pussy while Bucky was still inside. She had never felt so full before. She bucked her hips, trying to get more friction, but Bucky’s hands prevented her from doing so. She almost cried in frustration. Steve took his finger out and he put the finger in her ass. She froze.

“Trust us, doll.” Was all he said.

Bucky sat her on his lap and he slid his cock from her pussy and nudged her back hole. She stiffened as they softly whispered to her.

“Relax, doll.” 

She listened to him as she relaxed and she felt him enter her. She had never felt such fullness before. She looked over at Steve, who was ready to go again, in front of her. He entered her pussy. Darcy flopped her head on Bucky’s shoulder and moaned, unable to form words.

“How do you feel, sweetheart?”

“Full. Good. Please.” She stuttered out.

Together, Bucky and Steve pushed in and out of her body and their lips all met together. Darcy cried out as they moved faster and she could feel her orgasm building again.

“Close. Please.” She whined.

Bucky’s miracle hand came down and pushed a finger inside along with Steve’s cock and Darcy felt herself scream as her body squirted more than she thought she had. As she came, she felt both men slam into her and stiffen as they unloaded themselves in her. She felt warm, and satiated.

They all collapsed on the bed and they draped themselves over her, protecting her. 

“She’s dripping with us, Buck.” Steve’s voice penetrated her consciousness. 

“Think she has one more in her?” Bucky asked and she jolted her hips forward.

“I think that’s a yes.”

Together, they pushed their fingers in, and she came once more, passing out from the pleasure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, I hope this was okay! 
> 
> I wanted to thank you all for leaving such sweet comments on that last chapter, I'm so glad so many of you enjoyed it!!
> 
> I have read that a lot of you are interested in seeing how the super soldiers & Darcy deal with a new addition to their family, and I must admit, I am intrigued as well! I will be working on a little something, I might include the one-off scenes as a separate series so it's away from the main story, but I haven't quite decided yet. Keep those suggestions coming in and I will try my best to write something up!
> 
> Until next time! :)
> 
> Cheers!


End file.
